Atlanta Tree Loss More Than Doubled!
We are now LOSING OVER TWICE AS MANY HEALTHY TREES each year compared to four years ago, according to the City of Atlanta tree data. Tree loss significantly increased in all removal categories over the past four years, with a huge upsurge in healthy tree removals, both permitted and illegally removed, starting in 2021:
- Healthy tree removal has increased by 121% since 2020.
- Illegal tree removal has nearly doubled in the past four years, but it's more than doubled when the unknown number of trees cleared on 33 acres in 2023 are included.
- The removal of dead, dying, and hazardous (DDH) trees has not grown as much, but is still 7% more than 2020 (which is 21% more than the previous year, FY2019).
(Click on image below to enlarge.)
Chart note: Before 2020, tree loss data was provided only by fiscal year (FY), from July 1 to June 30.
2022 Changes to Tree Ordinance Had No Impact on Tree Loss
The changes made to strengthen the Tree Ordinance and give the city arborists more flexibility to save trees did nothing to reduce tree loss. Instead, TREE LOSS SURGED. When comparing the last three quarters of 2023 (after the new Tree Ordinance was implemented) to the same period in 2022:
- Healthy tree removals increased by 44%.
- Illegal tree removals grew by 42%, although the growth in illegal tree removal is understated because the number of trees cleared illegally on 33 acres at 2811 Forrest Park Road is unknown and not included.
- Dead, dying, and hazardous tree removals rose slightly by 4%.
(Click on image below to enlarge.)
We don't know if these tree loss trends continued in the first quarter of 2024 because the City stopped publishing tree loss data at the end of 2023. City Planning Commissioner Jahnee Prince has instructed the Arborist Division to wait until the City's new interactive dashboard is ready before any more tree data is released to the public. This withholding of quarterly data means the City is not in compliance with Sec. 158-103(f) of the Tree Protection Ordinance.
Please click on each tree category below to understand more about the tree loss in each category.
Key takeaways:
- Healthy tree removal has increased by 121% over the past three years. Prior to 2021, there was no growth trend in the number of healthy trees removed.
- Our Tree Ordinance currently focuses on preserving trees on lots zoned as single-family residential, but the majority of our tree canopy loss is now happening on multi-family and commercial developments.
Chart note: Before 2020, tree loss data was provided only by fiscal year (FY), from July 1 to June 30.
Dead, Dying and Hazardous (DDH) Trees
Key takeaways:
- DDH tree removals are not growing as fast as other categories of tree removal, but are still 7% more than 2020 and 40% more than the average number removed before 2020.
- Very few DDH permit applications are denied and the DDH approval rate in 2023 is back up to the all-time high approval rate we saw in 2020, when the city arborists were not conducting onsite inspections due to Covid. During the six years prior to Covid, approval rates were around 81%. Since Covid, approval rates have been consistently higher, between 89% to 94%. This pattern of approving almost all trees submitted as DDH is concerning given there is no right to appeal a DDH decision.
Chart note: Before 2020, tree loss data was provided only by fiscal year (FY), from July 1 to June 30.
Key takeaways:
- Illegal tree removal has more than doubled since 2020, allowing for an unknown number of trees removed from 33 acres in 2023.
- Current fines with no court citations have been ineffective in curbing illegal tree removal.
- The Atlanta Police Department no longer stops illegal tree removal as it is happening and there is no other City agency able to fill the gap.
Chart note: Before 2020, tree loss data was provided only by fiscal year (FY), from July 1 to June 30.