Woods Keeper at
Chastain Park
Chastain Park Update 8/22/26
In the Northwoods things are looking great as we generally work from east to west. We've worked hard to remove and suppress invasive annuals like Asiatic dayflower and stiltgrass this summer. We're seeing great results from the native seeds we planted last fall and winter following our removal work. More recently, we removed invasive thorny olive shrubs on the steep banks and began planting native seeds in certain areas.
The Outdoor Classroom area is looking awesome! It’s been so amazing to see how this space has evolved over the past 4 years. It truly is turning into a beautiful pocket native preserve. What used to be an area dominated by invasive plants is now a space featuring over 75 different species of native plants! Many occur naturally, and many were introduced by Chastain Park Conservancy and Woods Keeper. We are very proud of this collaborative work. The black-eyed susans grown from seed are beginning to bloom now. Also, keep an eye out in late summer for a trio of sunflower, blue mistflower, and goldenrod blooming in mass just on the other side of the small bridge if you're coming down from the Legion building.
The Palisades are looking good with minimal amounts of kudzu along the creek bank. This area is now thickening with beautiful native deer tongue grass, which is a big improvement over the past couple of years!
As always, if you see us working in the park don’t hesitate to say hi! Thanks to the Chastain Park Conservancy and their supporters for making this work possible.
Overview:
In Spring of 2022 Woods Keeper began work at Chastain Park in an area once nicknamed “kudzu canyon” that’s no stranger to restoration work. Many native plants like trillium, buckeye, sunflower, goldenrods, and asters are naturally returning in some areas while remaining invasive plants like English ivy still dominate in others (before-&-after shown below). Other targeted non-native invasive plants include privet, porcelain berry, elaeagnus, stiltgrass, and multiflora rose.
Working alongside Chastain Park Conservancy who is actively planting native plants throughout the park, Woods Keeper is continuing restoration efforts to remove and suppress these harmful invasive plants while nurturing the native plants and trees that support our local ecosystem. A small offshoot of Nancy Creek runs through the area supporting healthy populations of jewelweed, American jumpseed and much more. The stream flows over the roots of an enormous green ash tree (shown below), a tree so big it made the Atlanta Champion Tree list at #2 for this endangered species.
As the transformation unfolds from an unhealthy and overwhelmed landscape to a biodiverse and abundant woodlands, beauty will naturally follow. Check back for updates, or better yet come see for yourself!
**Does native habitat restoration mean every plant that’s non-native will be removed? No. We believe non-native plants can have a place in landscapes as long as they are not invasive. This issue is not black and white and often requires a nuanced discussion involving the specifics of the site.
Not only does invasive plant removal improve the health and beauty of our natural areas, it also makes trails more inviting.
Brian Barnes of Chastain Park Conservancy and Eli Dickerson of Park Pride measure the large green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).
A host to swallowtail caterpillars and many moths, green ash trees also provide cover and food to many bird and animal species. The green ash has rapidly become endangered in North America due to the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle whose larvae feed on the inner bark ultimately killing the tree.
Still seemingly healthy for now, this green ash at Chastain Park measures over 11 feet in circumference, 100 feet high, and 60 feet in average crown spread putting it at #2 on Trees Atlanta’s Champion Tree list.
