As a "Tree City USA" community for 18 years running, Athens-Clarke County has fascinating stories wrapped up in its tree history.
We've curated a few helpful links to build your knowledge in our local canopy:
Enjoy this article from Loren Smith of Athens Banner-Herald and learn about four trees, three on the UGA campus and one in town, their significance and story. "The “Tree that Owns Itself” on Dearing Street, the late Toombs Oak on North Campus, the Spec Towns oak from the 1936 Olympics and the pecan tree which is the centerpiece of the courtyard at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education." (Smith). Each tree really tells the story of the individual who sought to make them a priority, and in turn created a virtual policy which continues to protect and care for these trees today.
The most notable famous tree is The Tree that Owns Itself, pictured below. For a convenient, one-pager fact sheet on this tree, follow this link to the Athens Unleashed Visitor's Guide.
Finally, it is a little known fact that a large portion of the UGA Campus is a designated arboretum in three distinct areas, North, Central and South. This means the trees can mature and take part in the landscape and avoid encroachment from future developments by being isolated in a single location.
The UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences provides digital walking tours of these areas, marking the biologically diverse trees with a pin for easy reference.