Page 23 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 4 - Fall 2023

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“With 60-plus percent of Georgia’s population living in urban areas, primarily Atlanta, that disconnect between people and the land continues to grow and expand,” DiLuzio said.
Urban forestry and forest nonprofit groups can help serve as the conduit to the urban audiences and build a bridge between urban forestry work and large- scale forestry.
“My hope, my dream, is that one day, every Georgian knows that we’re the number-one forestry state in the coun- try,” he added. “That’s something that they should take pride in. We’re not there yet. We’ve got a long way to go. But my hope is one day I’ll be giving a presenta- tion, and everybody will raise their hand when I say, ‘How many people knew that we are the number-one forestry state in the country?’”
Groups like the Savannah Tree Founda- tion, Trees Atlanta and Trees Columbus are helping to change the conversation and beautify their cities.
“It’s protecting the trees that we have, and it’s taking that step and making sure that you’re doing your part and... planting
GOALOF
20%
TREE
COVERAGE
UP FROM CURRENT 6% IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA
y T.A. DeFeo
hen many Georgians think of the state’s for- ests, they might turn to the North Georgia mountains or South
Georgia. But there is another forest envi- ronment, and it’s hiding in plain sight: urban areas.
“Forests come in all different types,” said Greg Levine, executive director of Trees Atlanta. “You have completely 100% natural forest ecosystems that are pretty much intact to what they were hundreds of years ago. And then you’ve got urban forests, where one of the major components is people and development.
“I think people take trees for granted, unfortunately,” Levine added. “I think a lot of people know the value; it’s just not top of mind. Or the trees are something that the neighbor should have or the government should plant. The one thing you can do to improve the environment, the easiest thing to do, is plant trees.”
In Savannah, Zoe Rinker, executive director of the Savannah Tree Founda- tion, has big dreams, and they’re not just about expanding urban forests but also increasing awareness and access to underserved communities.
The organization is about to launch a community tree nursery, and Rinker wants it to create an apprenticeship pro- gram for people not traditionally repre- sented in arboriculture, including “women and people of color.” She also wants to start a pre-apprenticeship program with local high schools to “expose high school stu- dents to this career choice that is lucrative and doesn’t require a college degree.”
The organization started in 1982 amid metro sprawl in Savannah and has planted 5,000 trees; Rinker hopes to plant another 5,000 by 2030.
“Hopefully, all of those things and all those successes continue to drive the larger conversation about why trees are so important in our region, not just from a commercial forestry perspective, because they certainly are, not just from a tourist perspective, because that is also a huge portion of what has built Savannah, but also from a community and social perspective and what it means for us and our health as a community,” Rinker said.
Volunteers get down and dirty planting trees and other native plants during a Trees Atlanta event.
The Current Landscape
For Nick DiLuzio, vice president of the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF), the hope is that more people understand the many benefits of trees and the role they play in Georgia. GFF’s mission is to ensure the long-term sustainability of Georgia’s privately owned working forest by reconnecting youth and adults to the land.
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COURTESY OF TREES ATLANTA COURTESY OF SAVANNAH TREE FOUNDATION