"CATHEDRAL WOODS"

The area we call Cathedral Woods became a county park in 1938 as part of the same parcel that makes up a portion of Tanyard Creek Park. (Tanyard Creek Park was expanded in 1951 with an additional parcel.) Cathedral Woods is located east of Tanyard Creek, north of Collier Road, and south of Bobby Jones golf course. The entrance is at the intersection of the Atlanta Beltline and the Beltline Connector to Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Old maps show the Cathedral Woods area as simply "Fulton County park" as it was not part of the city until annexation in 1952. Recently, it is being referred to as part of Louise G. Howard Park, although that park was not acquired until 2006. The city parks department has included it in Louise G. Howard Park in their master plan (see https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/equity-data-tool). 

Louise G. Howard Park is adjacent to Cathedral Woods, on the other side of Tanyard Creek. When this property was redeveloped as a park (circa 2008), a Master Plan was created. An early draft is published here and a final draft below. Central to this master plan is "to return this residential property to closer resemble its original  native state." For Cathedral Woods, we have adopted the vision from the Louise G. Howard Master Plan which is a “PASSIVE, NATURAL, EDUCATIONAL, NEIGHBORHOOD RETREAT” 

Cathedral Woods being too close to the creek and in the flood plain, has not been developed or farmed at least as far back as 1825 when the property was acquired from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. It is, therefore, old growth forest. 

In 2013, a common persimmon tree was nominated for champion tree. In 2009, a tree survey was conducted as part of the Beltline project - see drawings below. When the Beltline trail was built, the City of Atlanta Parks Department hired a contractor to clear invasives from both sides of the creek. The western side of the creek is maintained by the city and volunteers, but the eastern side has reverted to its previous poor condition. Every few years, neighbors attempted to remove privet and cut ivy from the trees. But it just grows back. 

At the end of our first year of forest restoration (2024), we had started restoration of approximately 1 acre and developed a small nature trail.

1. Why are you creating a nature trail? Isn't it better to leave it as an inaccessible wildlife corridor? ANSWER: The leaders of this project believe that only by creating a love for this space will we be able to generate the will and resources to maintain the space. The trail will not cover the entire 5 acres, but will provide some access so that people can discover interesting plants and wildlife and learn what a healthy forest looks like. Letting people come in there will have risks beyond the animals. They will undoubtedly bring in seeds of invasives, which will create more work for us. But everything in life involves trade-offs, and there is no perfect solution.  People who have lived nearby for a long time lament the loss of wildlife that happened when the Beltline was built here. They fondly remember a den of foxes that hasn't been seen in a long time. There was a similar concern when the golf course was redeveloped and many trees were cut down. In spite of that, there is a barred owl that nests in a tree near the bottom of the stairs in Louise G. Howard Park. Deer are frequently seen. A coyote recently nabbed a neighbor's cat. The beaver that lives upstream survived the 2022 CSX railroad bridge replacement, and even had a kit in the spring of 2023 in spite of all the disruption. It is amazing how wildlife finds a way! We are cognizant of the need to provide food and shelter. This is why we are letting the piles of removed material mulch in place. We don't intend to make this look like someone's landscaped yard. And we will be encouraging the growth of native plants to provide food. Beyond the animals, there are forest floor plants that are native. In the first small area we cleared (fall 2023), bloodroot emerged and bloomed in the spring. There is still some trillium back in there. One neighbor rescued a large batch of trillium that was located where the Beltline was built. He still has it in his backyard and is interested in repatriating it to the woods at the appropriate time. Our hope is that by walking in there, you too will get excited about this space and support our efforts.
2. Is it being done without any herbicides or when/why do you use them? ANSWER: We are mostly using hand tools and manual labor. But there are a few times when it is much more efficient and effective to use a very small amount of herbicide. "Cut and treat" is an approved method for removing invasive shrubs that are too large for hand-pulling, and it disturbs less soil. Another example is kudzu. The root crown can usually be dug up, but if that root is under a large tree root, you would disturb the tree too much if you try to dig it out. Japanese chaff flower is also a very high priority to remove. While we usually dig up the roots and remove the entire plant (do not leave it to mulch, as it will re-grow), if it has been spreading for several years, this is very labor intensive. We simply cannot allow it to go to seed, and so to get it under control, we are using herbicide in a few places. Like with question 1, it is about trade-offs. In some cases, we use a little herbicide now so that we can make progress in restoring and maintaining this space.