To Protect Trees, Atlanta Nonprofit Maps and Measures Benefits There’s a running joke that in Atlanta, all navigation prompts include “Peachtree Street,” because 71 roads all have some form of that name. But with the city’s tremendous growth—adding two million residents between 1996 and 2014—actual live trees were becoming a rarity in and around Atlanta. In the 1990s, 27 acres of tree canopy coverage per day were lost during the construction boom brought on by the 1996 Olympic Games. Trees Atlanta works to mitigate the city’s tree loss and increase downtown tree canopy through planting, education, and conservation. The nonprofit is a community of employees and volunteers who recognize the benefits of trees and green space. The efforts to revive Atlanta’s roots in nature put Trees Atlanta on the map for redefining what urban spaces can look like. The nonprofit uses GIS technology to record, map, and track its work to keep Atlanta green. Trees Atlanta has had success in safeguarding the reputation of Atlanta for being a “city in a forest,” with its 48 percent tree canopy coverage. But there’s an uphill battle statewide; the US Forest Service has singled out Georgia for the fastest urban tree loss in the nation. Growing from Paper-Based Maps to GIS Before implementing GIS, the Trees Atlanta team members could not gather a full picture of their work in specific neighborhoods or throughout the city. But now, from start 16 The Atlanta skyline from Piedmont Park puts the city's mature trees in proximity to towering skyscrapers.
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