Avian and Arbor Adventures

Why Should We Want Urban Forests?

Urban forests provide vital ecosystem services to both the people and animals that live within them through filtering pollutants from the air and water, reducing summer temperatures in cities, and helping reduce nuisance flooding from storm water overflow. Besides filtering air pollutants, which recent research suggests lowers childhood asthma rates, urban forests provide valuable physical and mental health benefits by providing accessible green spaces for people to use during their daily lives. Shade from trees cools air and land surfaces, which can lead to energy savings during the hot summer months in Atlanta. Trees slow the rate of flow for storm water during rain storms, allowing more water to be absorbed into the soil and not end up in storm drains. This reduces the runoff during storms and decreases the likelihood of nuisance flooding blocking streets.

We’ve designed a scavenger hunt to help you “meet” some of the trees that grow around the Atlanta Metropolitan area.

Trees to Find