As a result of growing concerns about the loss of trees across Fairfax County, in September 2021 the Fairfax County Tree Commission submitted six policy recommendations to the Board of Supervisors that could improve tree preservation and planting during the land development process.
One specific recommendation, number 4, pointed out that county policies don’t incentivize developers to preserve trees. It is less expensive to cut down trees than to keep them. To counter this situation, the county’s fee in lieu should be increased to reflect the appraised value of the tree. Click here for more information on the Tree Commission’s recommendations.
While the Great Falls and McLean Citizens Associations (GFCA and MCA, respectively) commended the Commission for making recommendations that would help to preserve the tree canopy in their communities, both associations had reservations about two of the recommendations — those related to setbacks, building heights, and density — and each association had differing opinions on whether further review was needed. Although GFCA felt that the Commission’s four other recommendations could be immediately adopted by the BoS, MCA requested that the BoS ask County staff to review all six in light of the current Zoning Ordinance, Comprehensive Plan, other requirements, and developer incentives. What actions will be taken by the BoS is pending.
In the meantime, GFCA’s Environment and Parks Committee is developing plans to undertake a tree inventory this spring on Georgetown Pike, Virginia’s first historic and scenic byway. Given the increasing pace of residential development along the Pike and concerns about how development will impact the tree canopy, it is deemed important to have a better idea about what should be preserved before a property is developed.
The inventory hopes to identify prime examples of various tree species — those that are significant in terms of size and health — that should be preserved unless they are a danger to drivers along the Pike or pedestrians using adjacent pathways. It is hoped that the findings will help the Great Falls and McLean communities when working with VDOT to protect future trees that may be in harm’s way of removal because of development. Ultimately, the communities’ objectives are to avoid the situation where a developer takes down healthy mature trees and replants the site with smaller ones that take years to grow as large.
Environmental experts have stated that trees and green space are vital to a healthier environment and making communities more livable, especially in fast-growing areas like Northern Virginia where urban boundaries are constantly expanding outward. Trees produce oxygen, absorb and store cardon dioxide, and soak up other pollutants, working with other plants to ensure that we have cleaner air and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Trees also help to reduce flooding, capturing rainwater on their leaves and through their roots, reducing ground erosion, and filtering water. Trees provide shade as well as release water vapor from their leaves, producing a cooling effect. They are a source of food as well as a home to many species, connecting the community to the natural environment.
One tree currently at risk, and one impetus for the tree inventory in Great Falls, is a large red oak in the VDOT right-of-way, adjacent the new Toll Brothers development on Georgetown Pike in the village. While the exact age of the tree can only be determined by cutting it down, Bob Vickers, Dranesville’s Tree Commissioner, has estimated that it is over one hundred years old.
Vickers has been trying to identify the County’s most significant trees since 2007. Great Falls has a few National Champs, including a silver maple with a circumference of 288 inches and a height of 96 feet in 2015. To find other trees listed on the Virginia Big Tree database see https://bigtree.cnre.vt.edu/index.html.
