Administration 706-613-3561 Administrator Roger Cauthen Community Forestry Coordinator Andrew Saunders Office & Nursery Location 350 Pound Street Location Map Mailing Address P.O. Box 1868 Athens, GA 30603 A division of the Central Services Department

Central Services > Landscape Management

NEW! Athens Clarke County is looking for a donation for the Community Christmas Tree, which will be displayed outside City Hall. The tree needs to be less than 20' in diameter, around 35' tall, and symmetrical. Donators should contact Rita at 706-613-3561 by November 26.

NEW! The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County is seeking qualified candidates to fill 2 positions on the Community Tree Council (CTC). Find out more.

NEW! A new Tree Conservation Notes about the Southern Pine Beetle is now available in the Online Documents area.

The latest installment of the Community Tree Program Newsletter is available online.

 Athens-Clarke County has been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to community forestry. It is the 8th year Athens-Clarke County has received this national recognition.

Athens-Clarke County is also the recipient of a Tree City USA Growth Award for demonstrating progress in its community forestry program in the following activity areas: Education and Public Relations, publications, youth education, tree-care workshops, Partnerships, new project or organization, Planning and Management, tree inventory and analysis, computerized tree-management system, and professional tree manager.

The prestigious Growth Award recognizes environmental improvement and higher levels of tree care in Tree City USA communities. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

Athens-Clarke County has met four standards to become a Tree City USA community: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance.

Utility lines & trees: (See the new Tree Conservation Notes about Utility Line Clearance Pruning) Utility line clearance pruning is necessary to provide a safe environment and a reliable electrical power supply. Tree limbs that contact energized lines will burn and can conduct a high-voltage electrical current to the ground, endangering people and property. The Landscape Management Division and the Community Forestry Coordinator are working with Georgia Power to insure that all utility line clearance pruning is done according to professional standards and that mature trees growing near utility lines are retained as long as they are healthy and safe. Both Georgia Power and Athens-Clarke County are committed to conserving our mature tree canopy.

Citizens can be a partner in this effort by insuring that any new trees planted have adequate room to grow to maturity without the chance of creating a conflict with utility lines in the future.

Trees that grow higher than 25 feet at maturity should never be planted beneath or near overhead lines. Georgia Power has produced a brochure titled “Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place” that describes the proper placement of trees and lists the types of trees recommended for planting near power lines. This brochure is available from the Community Forestry Coordinator at the Landscape Management Division office at 350 Pound Street.

To request a copy or additional information on utility line clearance pruning and tree removal, call Landscape Management at 613-3561 or e-mail the Community Forestry Coordinator at forester@co.clarke.ga.us.

Information about the ACC Landmark Tree Program is now available online, along with an application to consider a tree for landmark status.

The Unified Government has become aware of several timber-harvesting contractors or "tree surgeons" who are approaching residents in Athens-Clarke County neighborhoods offering to remove trees, primarily pine trees, for little or no cost. These contractors have made statements about tree health such as pine bark beetle activity, root decay, and failure potential that appear to be unfounded based on visits to several of the properties.

While these contractors may have expertise in tree removal, they apparently do not have training in tree health assessment or hazard tree evaluation and are neither Registered Foresters nor International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborists.

Athens-Clarke County residents can schedule an appointment with ACC Community Forestry Coordinator Andrew Saunders at 706-613-3561 or forester@co.clarke.ga.us before agreeing to have trees removed because of a perceived problem. This free tree health assessment is offered through the Community Tree Program.

Citizens should contact qualified and experienced tree services for bids on any tree work, including pruning and removal. The ACC Community Forestry Coordinator recommends utilizing tree services with an ISA Certified Arborist on staff who can accurately answer tree care questions and supervise the work to be done. Tree services with Certified Arborists can be found in the phone book or online at www.isa-arbor.org.

The Athens-Clarke County Tree Ordinance is available in the Ordinances area. It went into effect on September 1, 2005.

The Community Tree Council has its own Web site at www.athenstrees.com. In early October 2000, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and the Commission approved an ordinance officially forming the Community Tree Council, a group of community members interested in tree planting and preservation. The council was formerly know as the Urban Tree Advisory Committee, and has been active in Athens since 1991.

Best Management Practices for Community Trees Document now online in the Online Documents area

DESCRIPTION
The ACC Landscape Management Division provides landscaping services to public buildings, parks, and rights-of-way in Athens-Clarke County. It is their responsibility to mow all public rights-of-way in the county, with the exception of those on state roads. The department maintains the landscaping of all ACC athletic fields and most of the recreational parks, such as Bishop Park, in the county. Additionally, Landscape Management takes care of about 95% of the grounds of public buildings in Athens-Clarke County, most notably those downtown.