Green Infrastructure (GI) is defined as an interconnected system of natural areas and open space that conserves ecosystem values, helps sustain clean air and water, and provides benefits to people and wildlife.
GI can be applied on a landscape scale or as an individual green design on a local scale. It may include green roofs, bio swales, and pervious pavement.
Benefits a Proactive Green Infrastructure Provides to a Community
- protects critical habitats and dwindling water resources, sustaining forest resources, and allowing natural systems to remain functional. This, in turn, can communities millions of dollars.
- is a cost-effective and resilient approach to managing stormwater that can bring many social, economic, public health, and environmental benefits to communities.
- cleans the air and water, replenishes aquifers, reduces flooding, and moderates the climate.
- promotes healthy exercise and access to more locally grown food.
Maintaining a Green Georgia Coast
Multiple state and local partners have been utilizing a GI approach on the landscape scale in coastal Georgia. Rapid development in this region has led to the loss of natural areas, fragmentation, degradation of water resources, and increased cost of public services. A GI strategy is one of the best ways to protect and manage this region’s diverse natural resources for present and future generations. GFC and its partners will continue to maintain and develop GI planning systems for all coastal communities.
The Green Infrastructure Guidelines of Coastal Georgia is a planning documented created in 2013. It features maps, apps and tools to support the details outlined in the Guidelines.
USFS Green Infrastructure Resource
Urban Forest Systems and Green Stormwater Infrastructure is a resource manual developed by the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban Forest Technology and Science delivery Team that focuses on the effects of trees on urban stormwater runoff. It provides a synthesis of the science around how urban trees help mitigate problems associated with stormwater runoff. This resource is designed to provide Urban Foresters and Natural Resource Managers some helpful urban forest management strategies to maximize stormwater benefits. Several tree crediting tools and case studies are also provided to help State and local governments better account for the stormwater benefits of urban forests as it relates to reducing stormwater volume and pollutant loading.
Helpful Resources
| Title | Description | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Georgia’s Green Infrastructure & Stormwater Management | Discover the damaging effects of stormwater runoff and how you can help protect, preserve, and restore Coastal Georgia’s water quality and natural resources. | Video |
| Georgia Model Urban Forest | This guidebook helps organize community support and plan development with green infrastructure in mind | |
| Green Infrastructure Center | Trees and stormwater calculator tool, case studies from Norcross and Alpharetta, GA. | External Website |
| Green Infrastructure: A Landscape Approach | Report from the American Planning Association, shows how green infrastructure cleans the air and water, replenishes aquifers, reduces flooding, and moderates the climate. | External Website |
| Stormwater to Street Trees | Report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to engineer urban forests for stormwater management. |