I am an avid Atlanta Braves fan; I am also an unabashed tree-hugger.
Now those two interests appear to be clashing. Braves officials say that they will build a brand-new stadium on a 60-acre “wooded tract” in Cobb County before the 2017 season. The $672 million ballpark will be located near the northwest intersection of Interstates 75 and 285.
What concerns tree-lovers like me is that another big swath of our ever-dwindling urban forest will become buried under more concrete and asphalt in the name of “progress.”
A scrutiny of the new stadium site via Google satellite maps shows that it harbors a nice mix of hardwoods and pines — a sizable tract of urban greenery in the midst of an ever-growing sea of impervious pavement and rooftops.
In my estimation (and that of many of my fellow tree-lovers), we cannot afford to keep losing such expanses of urban greenery and still expect to have livable communities. Instead of destroying such places, we should be protecting those we still have and even creating more of them.
Atlanta’s Beltline project is doing that: It will increase Atlanta’s green space by nearly 40 percent, according to project leaders. But it is not enough. Across the metro area, we’re losing several acres of tree cover every day.
The benefits of urban forests are immense, says the Southern Group of State Foresters. One acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people. Trees clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides and other pollutants, and also shade cars and parking lots, reducing ozone emissions from vehicles.
Trees also cool the air and reduce the burden on air conditioners. Trees reduce noise pollution by absorbing sounds. A belt of trees 100 feet wide and 50 feet tall can reduce highway noise by 6 to 10 decibels.
In addition, trees are natural water filters that significantly reduce stormwater runoff, which helps prevent flooding and soil erosion.
Urban forests also provide habitat and areas for foraging and resting for wildlife. Unfortunately, when our green spaces are smothered under concrete, wildlife must go elsewhere to survive.
IN THE SKY: The Geminid meteor shower, visible all next week, will reach a peak the night of Dec. 13 of 50 meteors per hour, said David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer. Look to the east from about midnight until dawn.
The moon will be first quarter on Monday, high in the south at dusk and setting around midnight. Venus is in the west at dusk and sets about two hours later. Jupiter rises out of the east just after dark and is visible all night. Mars rises out of the east around midnight. Saturn rises out of the east a few hours before dawn.
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