The Atlanta Beltline Arboretum officially has the world’s longest linear arboretum, stretching 12.44 miles of the completed rail-to-trail path — and it’s on track to reach 16 miles by summer.
It gives Atlanta yet another distinction, alongside the world’s busiest airport and the country’s largest aquarium. But this journey began 20 years ago with a partnership between the Beltline and nonprofit Trees Atlanta, an organization dedicated to improving the city’s urban forest.
Trees Atlanta handles planting, conservation and education, and the numbers on the Beltline show the proof. The nonprofit has already planted over 700,000 plants along the path — and will continue adding flora as the trail expands to its full 22-mile loop by 2030.
“We’re proud that as we connect more than 45 neighborhoods, we’re doing it not just with trails, but also with an ecological corridor of native Georgia plants, creating an urban oasis where people can relax and see birds, butterflies and other species attracted to this habitat,” Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs said.
Trees Atlanta Executive Director Greg Levine highlighted the connectivity the Beltline and its arboretum brings to Atlantans. Unlike a traditional arboretum or botanical garden, the Atlanta “urban oasis” links dozens of neighborhoods to each other, and thousands of residents to nature.
“What makes it special is not just that it is the longest linear arboretum in the world,” Levine said. “It’s unique because of its connectivity.”
But the Beltline was not always a tree hugger’s dream. Trees Atlanta Executive Director Greg Levine recalled a very different version of the path decades ago, when Ryan Gravel was in the early days of his transformative thesis project.
“It was basically a linear snake running through the city that was delivering kudzu to everyone’s backyard,” Levine said.
Levine said his team spent their time picking up truckloads of trash, clearing out the invasive kudzu and navigating the “22-mile liability.”
Now, the kudzu has been replaced with 650 different species and cultivars of woody plants. It also features a blend of native and non-native species, with hundreds of plant varieties, native azaleas, a pitcher plant bog and over 15 pawpaw cultivars. Trees Atlanta scoured small nurseries, handled some growing and “stayed flexible” to find the mix of species needed.
Levine said the plant diversity Trees Atlanta worked for is necessary for a cascading ecological system. The oak trees support caterpillars, which in turn feed birds. Pollinating plants support insects, which animals eat. He called it “the key to life.”
“Diverse plants mean diverse insects and animals,” Levine said.
As the Beltline and Trees Atlanta continue to work toward 22 miles of tree-lined paths, the organizations face ongoing questions. Clyde Higgs said the big one is the creation of a “long-term maintenance program.”
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