In making road improvements tied to the construction of the new Austin Elementary School, 16 trees had to be removed. The Dunwoody Nature Center will find a new purpose for those trees, according to a press release.
“As a nature center, we obviously hate to see any native trees removed, but we understand the need for the new intersection and that sometimes good trees do have to be removed,” said Dunwoody Nature Center Executive Director Michael Cowan. “I thought it would be a great idea if we could make lemonade out of the lemons and find a good natural use for the trees.”
The trees will be used in the following ways:
- The trunk of the giant oak at the entrance will be turned into several game tables placed throughout the park.
- Larger limbs will become sitting "stumps" for campers.
- Logs will be used as borders for trails. "Our trails need maintenance, so this will kickstart that effort," Cowan added.
- Smaller limbs will be cut into woodchips to be spread long the trails.
“When the Nature Center said they could repurpose all of the tree material, we thought it was a great way to reinforce their mission of environmental stewardship and the city’s sustainability values” said City of Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith. “We also plan to replace the trees with new plantings as part of the City’s one-for-one program.”
Dunwoody’s policy is to replace trees that are removed for city projects. On this project, the city is also using special construction techniques to build a new sidewalk while preserving 10 large hardwoods.
The trees were removed to build a new signalized entrance to the Dunwoody Nature Center and the new Austin Elementary School, which is scheduled to open in 2020.
The Dunwoody Nature Center plans to work with Eagle Scout candidates and other volunteers to support these repurposing projects.
Information: dunwoodyga.gov
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