As warehousing booms and trees come down, communities struggle to find balance

Cargo import and export Georgia Ports Authority’s at the Garden City Terminal, Friday, June 18, 2021, in Garden City, Ga. The port is getting busier all the time, and millions of square feet of new warehouse space is popping up to help support that growth. (GPA Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

This story was updated on June 30.

Arborist Mike Pavlis spent a recent morning walking around a couple of large properties in Savannah that are slated for development. Right now, they’re home to some houses, a coop with chickens and turkeys and a lot of trees.

Pavlis was looking for what are known as significant trees.