Noteworthy Tree-Lined Streets Found in Alpharetta, Roswell and Cumming

Yesterday, I took one of my fellow board members of the Alpharetta Arboretum, David Cox, on a drive through our area looking for trees of noteworthy status. What a great way to spend a rainy day.

We were distressed to find that a local beloved and ancient tree had some 2" X 4" boards nailed into it - evidently for the purpose of climbing the tree.  While I'm not a certified arborist I do know enough to explain the problem with that.  Trees don't respond to wounds the way we do.  They compartmentalize wounds and grow around them.  While the tree in question may eventually compartmentalize all those nail hole wounds, the fact is, those nail holes are wounds.  And as such they serve as entry points for pathogens and decay.  Certainly not a good thing.  

But, that isn't really what I wanted to blog about today.  As we drove around I was overwhelmed with the sheer beauty and landscaping of 4 streets in the Cumming-Alpharetta-Roswell corridor and I think they deserve some mention. 

The first is Shiloh Road in Cumming.  I've always noticed the horse statues at the entrance to this road off of McFarland, but have never driven through here.  David said to turn in, he'd show me a pretty tree-lined street and he was right.  For at least 1.5 miles, maybe 2, this street was lined with mature oaks on either side, forming a beautiful canopy of trees.  

And then there is Windward Parkway, east of 400 and in Alpharetta.  Although Windward has some bare spots, as a whole it is a very pleasant, tree-lined drive. The tree canopy in the block between North Point Parkway and Marconi Drive is particularly impressive.  It does what we all want tree canopy to do in urban settings - canopy the road!  And on a landscape architecture note, I'm always impressed that someone thought to make the road bridges on Windward out of stacked stone.  

Here's a road that doesn't get nearly enough attention for its tree factor - North Point Parkway. Truly amazing - particularly, as you travel North Point Parkway starting at Mansell Road and go north through the shopping center district!  Here you travel on one of the most beautiful tree-lined drives in north Fulton.  I was speaking to an old time resident of Alpharetta not too long ago about this area.  He informed me, with some pride, that there was a great deal of citizen input (some might say anger) at the original plans for this area and that the citizens are largely responsible for what ended up being good aesthetics here.  I was living off of Ashford-Dunwoody ITP at that time so I can't personally speak to this, but if he's right then Yea Citizens!  

Finally, and this may be my personal favorite, there is a tree-lined stretch of road called Northmeadow Parkway that, if you begin at Highway 9, runs through to Hembree Road.  It is definitely an office/industrial district but this is hardly noticeable because of the stunning canopy of pin oaks and willow oaks lining this street. There are several ancient tulip poplars on one side and they each have lightning rods, which lets me know that someone is looking out for them.  You can also see, as you drive through here, beautiful, winding sidewalks, and small natural spaces. I don't know how much employees in this area take advantage of these spaces, but I know they should!  Some day, for the sake of comparison, drive through Northmeadow Parkway, look at all the trees in full leaf, feel the cool shade, and then take a left and drive up Hembree through the barren school bus depot district between Wills and Maxwell Road.  Just from an aesthetic point of view, make the comparison.  You will then appreciate all these tree lined drives too.