Chattanooga has a problem that’s been growing in reverse.
In one decade, the Scenic City lost nearly 3,000 acres of its tree canopy, an expanse equivalent to 218 Coolidge Parks, research conducted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found. And while the disappearance of a single tree might not attract much attention, the cumulative losses are changing the landscape of a city known for its natural beauty.
The consequences extend beyond appearances. Fewer trees mean hotter neighborhoods, more stormwater runoff and fewer inviting places for residents to gather outdoors. And because mature trees take decades to replace, the effects of their disappearance can linger long after the stumps have been removed.
But a local partnership is working to turn over a new leaf.
Since launching in 2024, the Chattanooga Tree Project has planted more than 2,500 trees across the city, with another 1,650 planned for the upcoming planting season. The initiative brings together local government, conservation organizations, researchers and volunteers in an effort to rebuild an urban forest that’s been steadily losing ground.
A disappearing canopy
UTC’s research shows that Chattanooga’s tree canopy shrank from approximately 49% of the city’s land area in 2014 to 46% in 2023.
“That’s a massive amount of tree loss in less than a decade,” says Natalie Harris, an arborist who works with the Chattanooga Tree Project.
Development and tree removals have contributed to the decline, and the consequences extend beyond neighborhoods where shade has given way to pavement and exposed ground. Trees help manage stormwater, filter air pollutants, prevent soil erosion and cool streets and sidewalks.
“As we lose our tree canopy, we’re losing more than its cooling effects,” Harris says. “We’re losing all the other benefits trees provide.”
The challenge is that replacing a lost tree is not as simple as planting another one.
“A newly planted tree can’t provide the same environmental, social and economic benefits as a mature tree,” Harris says. “And we can’t replace the time it takes for a tree to reach maturity.”
Preserving Chattanooga’s existing canopy is therefore just as important as planting new trees, Harris says, particularly as development continues to reshape the city’s landscape.
Beyond cooling streets and sidewalks, Harris points to economic benefits that often go overlooked. Trees can reduce energy costs by shading buildings, increase property values and make commercial areas more inviting to pedestrians. She also cites research linking access to green spaces with improved mental and physical health.
For Harris, protecting the city’s tree canopy is about not only preserving Chattanooga’s natural beauty but also maintaining the environmental, economic and social benefits that make its neighborhoods livable.
Planting the seeds of change
The Chattanooga Tree Project is attempting to reverse losses through targeted planting efforts across the city, combining an ambitious planting schedule with a community-centered approach that organizers consider essential to its long-term success.
The initiative is a partnership between the city of Chattanooga, green | spaces’ understory program, UTC’s geographic information systems department and the Southeast Conservation Corps. Its work includes tree planting, streamside restoration, invasive plant removal and workforce development programs that prepare young people for careers in conservation.
Michael Strok, the project’s director of planning and management, explains how the organization’s slogan – “Communities, Opportunities, Trees” – reflects priorities that extend beyond increasing the city’s tree count.
“We talk a lot about trees, but they come last in our slogan,” Strok says. “That’s because trees are the vehicle we use to serve communities.”
The approach has already produced visible results in several Chattanooga neighborhoods. More than 300 trees have been planted in Orchard Knob, 440 in Ridgedale and 460 in East Lake, with Highland Park slated to receive more than 600 during the coming season.
Rather than spreading their efforts thinly across Chattanooga, organizers are concentrating plantings in selected neighborhoods, where clusters of growing trees can eventually provide more substantial shade and other benefits. UTC’s mapping data helps identify areas where additional canopy is needed, while community outreach determines where trees can be planted and whether residents want them.
Project representatives knock on doors and speak with residents before placing trees near their homes. The response has been positive, with an estimated 90% to 95% of those approached welcoming the plantings.
Strok emphasizes that the conversations are about more than securing permission to plant.
“We want residents to feel ownership of the trees in their neighborhoods,” he says. “This is a community effort, and everyone should feel like they’re part of it.”
That emphasis on community participation carries over into the planting itself. Volunteers have planted most of the project’s 2,500-plus trees, helping push the annual total above 1,000. Strok estimates Chattanooga previously planted only 300 to 500 trees a year.
Growing pains
Getting trees into the ground is only the beginning. Keeping them alive through Chattanooga’s summer heat requires another investment of time, labor and resources, particularly during the first two years while their root systems become established.
Strok credits the understory crew with keeping young trees alive through a summer marked by prolonged heat and limited rainfall.
“We had about 45 consecutive days above 90 degrees this summer, with almost no rain,” he says. “Without the understory crew watering the trees nearly every day, they wouldn’t have survived.”
Workers use a truck and trailer equipped with a 550-gallon water tank, filling it through a metered fire hydrant connection before traveling their routes to water individual trees.
The project aims to reach each tree weekly, although the expanding number of plantings can sometimes stretch that schedule. Even so, early survival rates have been encouraging, with understory reporting retention above 90% during its first planting year. The effects of the most recent summer will become clearer when the trees begin budding again.
Choosing the right species is another challenge, Strok says, especially along streets where narrow planting strips, sidewalks and underground infrastructure leave little room for error. The project generally favors native trees but must also consider how large they will grow, how their roots will behave and whether they can withstand the stresses of an urban environment.
“We select our species based on the space available for planting,” Strok adds. “We don’t want to plant one city resource to destroy another.”
The practical considerations can considerably narrow the list of suitable trees. Some species produce fruit that residents don’t want falling on sidewalks, while others have thorns or root systems that can damage pavement.
“I love sweet gums, but the ones in my neighborhood are tearing up sidewalks everywhere,” he says.
The project tries to account for those concerns before planting rather than leave neighborhoods to contend with them years later.
Protecting what’s already here
Even an aggressive planting program can’t fully compensate for the continued removal of mature trees, a reality that’s prompted renewed attention to how Chattanooga protects its existing canopy.
Harris encourages property owners to regard themselves as temporary stewards of the trees growing on their land.
“If you own property where trees are present, you’re the steward of those trees while you’re there,” she says.
That responsibility includes seeking professional assessments before deciding that removal is necessary. While diseased or structurally compromised trees can pose legitimate risks, pruning and other corrective measures can sometimes address those concerns without sacrificing an otherwise valuable tree.
Harris recommends consulting qualified arborists and obtaining multiple opinions, particularly when removal is proposed.
“We want arborists who care about our tree canopy and will do everything they can to protect trees while addressing property owners’ needs and concerns,” she says.
The goal, she explains, is to make removal a last resort when other measures can adequately address the risks.
Preservation efforts have also taken root at City Hall. In April 2025, the Chattanooga City Council approved the first comprehensive overhaul of its tree ordinance in more than 35 years, strengthening protections for public trees and introducing preservation and replacement requirements for certain private developments.
Under the new rules, developers must account for 36 inches of tree diameter per acre, either by preserving existing trees, planting new ones or combining the two. Existing trees are measured 4.5 feet above the ground, while newly planted trees are measured 6 inches above the ground.
For example, a developer could meet the requirement by preserving six trees measuring 6 inches in diameter each or planting 18 new trees measuring 2 inches each. Developers can also contribute to a city tree bank at 125% of the estimated planting cost. The ordinance exempts single-family homes and duplexes, leaving much of the city’s privately owned canopy dependent on individual property owners’ decisions.
Strok acknowledges that expanding regulations further would require navigating concerns about private property rights.
“Private property rights are a sensitive issue for many people,” he says.
Although he hopes the city can strengthen those protections over time, Strok encourages residents who want more trees to begin with their own properties.
Harris also urges residents to participate in Chattanooga Tree Commission meetings and consider the economic value of trees that might otherwise be viewed as maintenance expenses or potential hazards.
Putting down roots
The Chattanooga Tree Project’s next planting season will run from November through April, with a goal of adding more than 1,650 trees along streets, in parks and throughout residential neighborhoods.
The first volunteer event is scheduled for Nov. 7, when organizers hope to recruit about 100 people to plant nearly 100 trees. Additional events are planned throughout the season, with volunteer plantings taking place on many Saturdays.
Strok describes the gatherings as opportunities for residents to work alongside neighbors and strangers, often forming relationships that last well beyond the morning’s planting.
“I’ve made lifelong friends through these volunteer events,” he says.
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the planting efforts, Chattanooga faces a long road to restoring its lost canopy. Thousands of newly planted trees represent an investment in the city’s future, but they’ll need years of care and growth before they can provide the benefits of the mature trees that have disappeared. Without protecting its existing canopy as well, the city could struggle to reverse the losses.
For Strok, the effort depends on residents looking beyond their own neighborhoods and recognizing that restoring Chattanooga’s urban forest is a shared responsibility.
“Even if we’re not planting in your neighborhood, come help another community so we can do the same for yours in the future,” he says.
The results won’t appear overnight, but the seeds of a greener Chattanooga are already in the ground.