By Christian Trevor Lisa
Morning light through the trees in Ormewood Forest
Sav Tello of Trees Atlanta explaining invasive plant removal
Recent forest stewardship class lunch event
Bar chart results of the Ormewood Forest neighborhood survey
The thinker Robert Pogue Harrison once wrote, “What is a place if not its memory of itself—a site or locale where time turns back upon itself?” Few places in Atlanta offer a better opportunity for a piece of land to “remember itself” than Ormewood Forest.
At the corner of Ormewood and Flat Shoals Avenues, memory is embedded in the dense foliage and creek that run through this park-in-progress in the heart of residential East Atlanta. There is the memory of a fight spanning more than 16 years to keep it a public green space (and not a private subdivision), as well as the land’s history as a Muscogee trade route.
Looking down through the foliage from the near-canopy height of the sidewalk, there is a sense that things are happening—nascent trails forming, small pink flags flanking budding trees. The Friends of Ormewood Forest have been busy at work, securing the future of the park.
The hope of every grassroots effort is to reach a critical mass where they can form meaningful partnerships with existing civic organizations. Recently, several of the city’s key environmental groups have joined forces with the Friends of Ormewood Forest. A coalition of the city Department of Parks & Recreation, Trees Atlanta, Park Pride, and the East Atlanta Community Association (EACA) Parks & Green Space Committee has facilitated five large-scale invasive removal efforts this year alone. A part of this work was accomplished by turning the forest into an “outdoor classroom” for Trees Atlanta’s renowned Forest Stewardship Training program.
The Friends of Ormewood Forest have secured the park’s first public funding in the form of a $2,500 Park Pride Activation Grant. Guided by the results of a recent community visioning survey, they will be using this grant to host a two-day park improvement event in the fall, providing neighbors and other volunteers the opportunity to learn about native plants and planting techniques, as well as hands-on participation in creating a native plant garden on the border of Ormewood Forest.
More than two years have passed since Ormewood Forest was formally purchased by the city and saved from land development. In an effort to bring together the original community members and more recent supporters of the effort, the Friends of Ormewood Forest invite the community to join them at their upcoming “Feast for the Forest” pot-luck brunch on August 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at Flat Shoals Farm, 749 Flat Shoals Avenue, directly adjacent to Ormewood Forest.
For volunteer opportunities, and other ways you can join in supporting this new East Atlanta Nature Preserve, contact the Friends of Ormewood Forest at ormewoodforest@eaca.net.
