Atlanta’s aspiration for a 50% tree canopy coverage has long been elusive, with recent assessments showing a decline in the city’s greenery.
In 2018, researchers from Georgia Tech revealed that the city’s canopy coverage had fallen to 46.5%, a drop of 1.5 percentage points since 2008.
Tree advocates express concern that the upcoming assessment could indicate coverage has dipped below 45%.
In a recent meeting, a new version of the tree ordinance was advanced out of committee, but many of the crucial provisions aimed at preserving the tree canopy were removed.
Previous drafts had included mandates for developers to preserve a certain percentage of their properties for tree protection, but these measures faced strong opposition from the building industry.
Michael Paris, CEO of the Council for Quality Growth, a pro-development group, expressed his satisfaction with the latest draft of the ordinance, emphasizing its potential to balance economic growth with existing tree canopy preservation.
Conversely, Kathryn Kolb, a conservationist deeply engaged in the efforts to revise the ordinance, described the legislative outcome as a “gross failure of process,” criticizing the city for failing to protect its valuable urban forest.
Kolb particularly highlighted the removal of preservation standards and caps on tree removal fees as significant setbacks, arguing that these changes do little to deter clear-cutting and lack meaningful tree protections.
She stated, “For many, if not most, properties with any significant number of trees, the recompense will effectively be less than what developers are paying today.
It’s a regressive joke.”
The recent committee meeting also unveiled growing friction between certain city council members and the Department of City Planning regarding the ordinance’s revisions.
Council member Bond, joined by Council member Boone, characterized the legislative process as hurried and questioned Commissioner Jahnee Prince about the rationale for advancing a stripped-down version of the legislation.
Prince countered by asserting that the current ordinance contained essential protections for trees and indicated that further elements would be addressed in conjunction with new zoning regulations expected later this year.
Many in the building sector have advocated for an integrated approach to test the new zoning rules along with the revised tree ordinance.
As the meeting progressed, Bond intensified his critique of the legislation, stating bluntly that it failed to adequately protect trees.
In defense, Prince maintained that the ordinance included measures to conserve trees.
Although Bond chose not to obstruct the committee’s vote, he indicated plans to propose new legislation to monitor the Department of City Planning’s initiatives in further developing tree protection measures.
The city council is anticipated to take up the revised measure for a vote soon, perhaps as early as Monday, though its future remains uncertain.
Expected new changes and challenges may arise in response to this evolving legislative landscape.
image source from：https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/despite-objections-city-council-committee-advances-pared-back-tree-ordinance/
