A 2023 Georgia Tech tree canopy report confirmed that Atlanta continues to lose tree canopy, identifying two major causes:
- unusually high lot coverage, and
- the absence of tree preservation requirements in the so-called tree protection ordinance.
Atlanta is defined by its tree canopy, and the researchers predict further decline:
“… if the ongoing trend of developing and redeveloping single-family homes to the maximum allowable lot coverage persists, the city will continue to lose significant canopy on a lot by lot basis … the city’s canopy will be considerably altered, diminished, and potentially changed forever… there will likely be greater canopy loss observed in the next five years than in any previous time period (2008-2023).”
This affects us all
High tree loss in one area harms residents throughout Atlanta. Tree loss increases heat, ozone and particulate air pollution.
In one year, Atlanta dropped to an “F” in air quality, according to an American Lung Association report, citing levels of air pollution that are “a threat to human health at every stage of life ... worsening lung and heart disease to shortening lives.”
Tree loss also creates excessive stormwater, with costs to repair sewer infrastructure falling on taxpayers. Homeowners downstream from clearcut developments pay stormwater damages out of pocket.
How we got here
Tree loss started to accelerate in the early 2000s with the rise in property values.
It became profitable to replace original homes with much larger houses and build on previously “unbuildable” lots.
Builders adopted the convenience of suburban-style mass-grading, needlessly destroying established tree stands as well as mature trees that had shaded homes before air conditioning.
Planting trees helps, but it can’t begin to make up the loss.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Years of work, still no tree protection
Since the city passed the tree ordinance in the early 2000s, a consensus grew to protect more existing trees during development.
The city convened task forces in 2014, 2022 and 2024 with broad participation from developers to tree advocates.
Through collaborative efforts, City Planning produced balanced tree protections for residential lots while guaranteeing lot coverage for builders. By early 2025, this was approved by the neighborhood planning units as well as the city’s Law Department.
But just before the new tree protections were due for a council vote, development lobbyists, including Council for Quality Growth and Greater Atlanta Homebuilders, convinced city officials that any tree protection would prevent building affordable homes and hinder development overall.
Of course, these claims weren’t true, but in less than two weeks, the Planning Department abruptly gutted every single tree protection. The council voted forward the weakened tree ordinance in June 2025.
Follow the money
Credit: Hand
Credit: Hand
Credit: Hand
Credit: Hand
In task force meetings, development reps routinely said “no” to suggestions on how to better protect trees yet refused to provide alternatives. They favor the current ordinance that places almost no limits on mass-grading and clear-cutting, and they’re making political contributions to ensure things don’t change.
In a recent report, Common Cause Georgia, a nonprofit that works to reduce the influence of special-interest money in politics, found that real estate and construction companies were the largest donors to Atlanta city council and mayoral candidates serving between 2021 and 2025.
On this issue, then-Councilmember Howard Shook remarked in a column by AJC columnist Bill Torpy: “There’s the public support for being a tree hugger, versus the campaign contributions you might leave on someone else’s table.”
The result of developers’ influence is that Atlanta residents are left holding the bag with fewer trees, hotter temperatures, stormwater costs and impaired health — after builders have cleared lots, built whatever they wanted and fast-tracked their profits, often out of the city.
Despite claims to the contrary, building with tree preservation is achievable and smart developers know how to do it — and profitably. Tree preservation is doable — even desirable.
The latest tactic to postpone tree protections claims we must wait for the zoning code rewrite, even though, in early 2025, the Law Dept found no conflict between the tree ordinance and zoning code.
It’s time to protect our trees
In 2021, City Council heard nearly five hours of public comments on the tree ordinance, with at least 90% urging for more tree protection, according to a local news outlet.
Council members, the mayor and city planning need to hear that stalling and false arguments won’t be tolerated by the public any longer. Let them know Atlanta’s tree protection ordinance must be amended to save trees and stop clear-cutting.
Howard Katzman and Chet Tisdale help lead the Citizens Group for a Better Atlanta Tree Ordinance. Learn more about their work at www.cityintheforest.org.
Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to letters@ajc.com.
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