The John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve

The John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve is a beautiful and unique 30-acre Fulton County tree, plant, and wildlife sanctuary, the legacy of John Forbes, the foremost preservationist of the great outdoors in the Southeast. The Big Trees Forest Preserve is now a part of the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN), a national network of protected, native, publicly accessible mature forests. Big Trees is the first forest in Fulton County to receive the designation.

A visual and spiritual oasis in the bustling city of Sandy Springs, the Preserve is the perfect setting for a quiet afternoon stroll. Once a cotton farm plantation along Roswell Road, the Preserve is awash with native trees, plants, and wildflower meadows planted and maintained by the North Fulton Master Gardeners. The beautiful trees that you see include red and white oaks, beech, hickory, sourwood, loblolly pine, wild black cherry, ironwood, and sassafras. Native plants include orange flame azaleas, crossvine, American beautyberry, eastern sweetshrub, jewelweed, bloodroot, bachelor button, verbena, and a wealth of ferns. The animals that you might see in the Preserve include deer, raccoon, fox, grey squirrels, rabbit, opossum, snakes, box turtles, plus a wealth of pollinators, including bees, hornets, wasps, and butterflies of many sizes and colors. The resident raptors, red tail, sharp-shinned, coopers hawks abound. Powers Branch Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, is alive with salamanders, crawfish, and minnows. The Preserve also serves as a family-friendly outdoor classroom for those looking to take a self-guided nature walk. Download the Big Trees Forest Preserve Trail Map and follow the 15-stop watershed education tour to learn about the positive and negative effects humans have on water quality and the forest community.

This Preserve is being protected for its many special natural qualities in a cooperative partnership with the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve, Inc., a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), volunteer organization; the City of Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department; the State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources; and the Southeast Land Preservation Trust. Within the Preserve you will find almost an acre-sized meadow of native grasses, wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and small trees cared for and maintained by the North Fulton Master Gardeners, a true delight for the eyes in early spring through late summer.

The Preserve is located about 4 miles north of I-285 in the north metro Atlanta community of Sandy Springs, Georgia, next to the North Fulton County Government Annex building at 7645 Roswell Road. This previously threatened urban forest, one of the last in the highly developed area of Sandy Springs, was assembled in three purchases beginning in 1990 spearheaded by Southeast Land Preservation Trust in partnership with Fulton County and the State of Georgia. The State of Georgia owns 10 acres and the City of Sandy Springs owns 20 acres that was deeded from Fulton County in 2006.

The Preserve is open sunrise to sunset, seven days each week. There is ample free parking. Dogs on leashes are welcomed in the Preserve. You will find restrooms, a water fountain, trash cans, and a dog watering spigot at the entrance to the Preserve, well-lit and in full view of the parking and Fulton Co. Government Annex. The Preserve is a smoke-free environment.

How the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve Came to Be

John Ripley Forbes is recognized as the nation’s foremost authority on the development and organization of natural science centers and wildlife sanctuaries for youth. He personally founded 24 centers and 15 tree, plant, and wildlife sanctuaries totaling more than 3,500 acres. As the founder of the Natural Science for Youth Foundation, the oldest and most experienced organization of its kind, he assisted 226 communities in 41 states. After moving to Atlanta in 1971, Forbes organized and established natural science centers such as the Outdoor Activity Center and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. In 1976 Forbes founded the nonprofit Southeast Land Preservation Trust to preserve Atlanta's increasingly scarce open space.

In January of 1989, John Ripley Forbes first learned of a beautiful forest in Sandy Springs about to be marketed as land suitable for a car dealership. Upon visiting the property, he was awed by the beauty of the forest and felt it should be saved for use as an urban forest education center. He thought the large trees were so historic and inspiring, that immediate action was needed to preserve the forest for the enjoyment of future generations. Through a cooperative partnership with the Southeast Land Preservation Trust, Fulton County, the State of Georgia and private citizens, a total of 30 acres of this forested land was purchased. For over a decade, Forbes worked to develop and promote Big Trees Forest as a Tree, Plant and Wildlife Sanctuary and Urban Forest Education Center. Through his leadership, this special place has evolved as a model in urban forest preservation, management, stewardship, and use. This special preserve is a living legacy to John Ripley Forbes’ commitment to conserving our natural heritage for future generations.

Backcountry Trail System

The Big Trees Forest Preserve initially focused on developing its first 10-acre acquisition fronting Roswell Road with approximately 2/3 mile of footpaths and a handicapped-accessible trail. Later, 20 additional acres across Powers Branch on the back of the preserve was purchased and subsequently developed with a trail system to provide more opportunities for forest education and scenic, recreational walks. The "Backcountry Trail System" consists of three trails: (1) Backcountry Trail, (2) Spring Hollow Trail, and (3) Jackson Overlook Trail. These trails total slightly less than one mile in distance. They are for foot travel only and are easy to walk with no steep grades. Learn more about the Backcountry Trail System at http://www.bigtreesforest.com/learn.html.

How to learn more about Big Trees Forest Preserve

On Sunday, March 7 at 2:pm, Katherine Coppedge, a North Fulton Master Gardener and a Board member of John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Forest Preserve, Inc will present a live Zoom webinar, “Big Trees of Sandy Springs”, an overview of The John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Preserve. The class will be available through live Zoom webinar, Facebook Live and also be available for later viewing at www.youtube.com/NorthFultonMasterGardeners. Please register in advance for this class at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7Z1-DVFWS16gd4v8WBFCGw.

About North Fulton Master Gardeners

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. NFMG assists The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension by providing unbiased horticultural information to Georgians through volunteer community service and educational gardening projects using applied research and the resources of The University of Georgia. NFMG Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Over the years, the North Fulton Master Gardeners have provided gardening community education classes in Alpharetta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Farm Chastain (now transitioning to a virtual learning format due to the pandemic); gardening education for young children; university and college scholarships for horticulture students; and local demonstration gardens maintained by the North Fulton Master Gardeners. For the past 21 years, we have brought Garden Faire to the North Fulton community on the last Saturday in April on the grounds of historic Bulloch Hall.

North Fulton Master Gardeners are available to speak at your next virtual meeting or event on a multitude of topics. To request a speaker, contact Speakers Bureau Chair, Kathie Lunsford at 678-699-1977 or email speakers@nfmg.net.

To receive more information about classes and other NFMG activities, you can sign up for our email list at https://www.nfmg.net/communityclasses.htm#NewsletterSignup. Please follow us on social media to learn more about our upcoming Spring 2021 Gardening Lecture Series.
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We wish the best of health to all members of our community.