The City of Marietta is digging in to plant 500 trees and started with 230 plantings this week to help the environment and beautify Marietta’s major corridors.
City tree plan

A city study involved bringing in outside experts in tree planting and beautification efforts. “They worked with city staff and members of our tree committee to determine locations in the city where there would be maximum impact, both visually and environmentally,” Marietta City Manager Bill Bruton said.

The city determined that approximately 10 locations in Marietta needed canopy cover for the city’s future. The city laid out where the plantings should go and ranked the locations in terms of where to begin and end the plantings.

The current tree plantings are phase one of a tree master plan the city and community developed two ago for greening and beautifying the major corridors coming into Marietta. The first phase includes planting trees in areas that haven’t had adequate greenery along corridors in the past. The second phase will include replacing trees where there are already established trees, like on Church and Cherokee streets and Kennesaw Avenue, to ensure a great tree canopy when the current trees reach the end of their life span.

Phase two will expand the tree plantings along the North Loop and South Loop and plantings along Church and Cherokee streets. “The plantings are a substantial investment in our community,” Bruton said.

The city waited to plant trees because of the drought two years ago and is reusing rainwater collected off the rooftops of city-owned buildings to water the city’s plants and trees.
Tree planting locations – Phase One

* Power substation on North Marietta Parkway across from Marietta Power and Water
* Cole Street at North Marietta Parkway
* Tower Road from James Street to Kennesaw Avenue
* South Marietta Parkway from Alexander Street to Atlanta Street
* Atlanta Road from South Cobb Drive to South Marietta Parkway

“As part of our tree master plan, the substation is one of the first sites we selected to do a tree planting that would cover the image of the substation and provide a nice green entryway into the city,” Bruton said.

Tree funding

The plantings are funded through the city’s alternative compliance tree fund, which allows developers who are planting trees on new development sites in Marietta to look at their site and, if their site is too constrained to be able to fit all the trees that the city’s tree ordinance requires, use money in lieu of trees and put it into the tree fund, Bruton said. “The money is used to plant trees in public spaces throughout the community.”
City’s trees help clean the air

Trees help clean the air, conserve soil and water, and regulate temperature. The National Arbor Day Foundation named Marietta a Tree City USA community to honor the city’s commitment to community forestry. Marietta has received the national recognition for 24 years.

“We value trees in the community, the environmental benefits trees give and the aesthetic improvements trees make to our community,” Bruton said. “The trees to help cool homes and show that a city feels good about itself.”

“It’s been a long-term goal of Marietta to become as green as it can be, and we look forward to phase two and phase three of this project,” Bruton said. The city plans to plant over 500 trees before the project is complete.
Marietta’s dedication to tree coverage and protection

Establishing good and continuous tree coverage and canopy is a goal City Council established as part of Marietta’s vision statement, and the city’s tree protection and landscaping ordinance helps preserve and/or replace trees as part of the land development process.

For more information, call Marietta’s Public Works Department at 770-794-5650.