After almost 25 years, the city of Atlanta is set to make major changes to its long-standing tree protection rules as officials propose stricter legislation to preserve the city’s canopy.
These increased measures come as advocates sound the alarm over the city’s tree canopy, which has been gradually decreasing in the face of development and rapid population growth. According to studies completed by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the city’s tree canopy decreased from 48% to 46.5% from 2008 to 2018, which equated to an estimated loss of nearly half an acre of canopy per day between 2008 and 2018.
And with Atlanta, like most of the country, predicted to face increasing temperatures over time due to climate change, trees can act as a natural coolant to communities by providing shade and releasing moisture into the air. For Atlanta’s Black residents, who are disproportionately impacted by extreme urban heat compared to white residents, trees could be a lifeline…