Visitors to Forsyth County’s Chattahoochee Pointe will soon be able to enjoy a community orchard. Keep Forsyth County Beautiful (KFCB) recently received a $2,000 grant to plant the orchard as part of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation’s Community Orchard Project. The trees for the orchard will be planted on Nov. 15 during a community fall landscape workshop.
The purpose of the Community Orchard Project, now in its third year, is to plant trees for environmental benefit while providing a source of free, local food. The Georgia Urban Forest Council and the Georgia Forestry Commission provide technical and planning assistance to grant recipients.
“I remember as a child growing up being able to just take a walk and fill my pockets with a variety of fruits, nuts and berries that grew along roads and in public areas,” Environmental Program Manager Tammy Wright said. “One of the requirements for the grant is that the harvest from the trees must be available to the public and/or the wildlife. It is exciting to know that others will be able to take a stroll in the park and pick a fruit or nut from a tree that was intended for that purpose.”
KFCB will be working with Forsyth County Parks and Recreation and the Forsyth County Extension Office to create the community orchard of native, low-maintenance fruit and nut trees. The tree species selected include persimmon, serviceberry, pawpaw, chinquapin, crabapple and Chickasaw plum.
“The Community Orchard Project gives communities the financial and technical resources they need to integrate orchards into public spaces,” Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Executive Director Sarah Visser said. “In many cases, our food travels thousands of miles to reach us. This project reconnects Georgians to our food supply and demonstrates the benefits of growing food right in our own communities.”
The Community Orchard Project has planted more than 180 trees in six communities since its inception in 2012. Ten projects are being installed during the 2014-2015 planting seasons with the focus being on planting more than 15 species of fruit and nut trees.
Chattahoochee Pointe borders the Chattahoochee River and is located at 5790 Chattahoochee Pointe Drive (behind the Bridleton neighborhood) off Old Atlanta Road in south Forsyth County. The approximately 100-acre park features a canoe launch, two pavilions, more than two miles of walking trails and a river-themed nature-inspired playground.
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