Don't hug a tree—get to know one.
Many of Atlanta's trees are laden with stories just waiting to be picked: who planted them, what they survived and what used to surround them. Treat them as your neighbors and you'll find that their personalities emerge.
Some even become local celebrities. This Arbor Day, the AJC has created a Who's Who of Atlanta Trees with the help of local ecologists and arborists. The list of 20 trees includes a sports legend, a war survivor, a teacher, and a few mysterious figures spotted through the branches.
Included below is just one of those stories. Read the full photo article on MyAJC.com. Share own your photos and stories by using the #AJCtrees hashtag on Instagram or email socialmedia@ajc.com.
Photo by Pete Corson / pcorson@ajc.com
Agnes Scott's 'Mystery Incense Cedar'
This tree shouldn't be here, and how it got here makes local arborists scratch their heads. At least 160 years ago, someone brought an Incense Cedar seedling from the West Coast and planted it on South Candler Street on what is now part of the Agnes Scott campus. Why? Theories abound on the Georgia Urban Forest Council's Landmark Tree listing – perhaps it was an antebellum home's front-yard curiosity? Or maybe a pencil manufacturer's test planting (its wood was popular for pencils)? Maybe Spanish explorers put it there? British horticulturalists? A Dahlonega gold miner? Cue the theremin music.
To see it: The Incense Cedar is on South Candler Street, next to the entrance of a small campus parking lot.
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