“Protecting and Expanding Our Tree Canopy” was the topic of the 2024 Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) fall membership meeting last month held at the fellowship room of the Falls Church Episcopal.
Speakers included Heidi Bonnaffon, a Senior Environmental Planner working with the Regional Tree Canopy Subcommittee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Mary Glass, the Director of Arlington Tree Connection. Amy Crumpton, Volunteer Chair of the VPIS Neighborhood Tree Program moderated.
In April 2024, the Regional Tree Canopy Subcommittee of the Climate, Energy and Environment Policy Committee with the Metropolitan Council of Governments released the report Conserving Trees and Forests in Metropolitan Washington.
The report details the state of the region’s tree canopy and its environmental benefits, recommends a 50 percent tree canopy goal for the region, and offers strategies for action at the local level. Ms. Bonnaffon spoke on the goals and impact of this policy report.
The report cites three overarching goals for area jurisdictions, beginning with recognizing a goal of ensuring at least 50 percent tree canopy coverage for the entire region through 2050.
It also established intermediate goals for jurisdictions based on population density and urbanization, set up to identify tree canopy goals for watersheds, planning districts, census tracts and towns and smaller communities. Then smaller scale target goals for general land use categories are mature coverage levels associated with 18 general classes of land use categories encountered in the COG region.
Arlington Tree Connection came together in late 2022 after a group of residents privately funded an independent tree canopy assessment of Arlington County. Glass discussed the organization’s efforts to bring together residents, businesses, other organizations, and advocates to take action to enhance tree canopy throughout the county. She said she does not see a contradiction between economic development and tree canopy goals.
Mark Gross, current president of VPIS, wrote a commentary on the subject in the fall edition of the VPIS newsletter.
He wrote, “A popular saying of the Village Society is ‘You moved here for a reason.’ For most of you, one of those reasons was the appearance of Falls Church. It was a community of large, mature trees – green, leafy, shady, and beautiful – in fact, an official ‘Tree City U.S.A.’ That appearance is now diminishing. As large apartment buildings are built, trees that used to be on those lots have disappeared.
“The location of the old George Mason Middle-High School, that was surrounded by many large trees, now has little greenery. In the entire West End, trees are now at a premium. Throughout our commercial areas, shade trees have been lost, or irrevocably damaged and not replaced, especially when new construction extends to the lot line to maximize the size of a building. Perhaps most obvious is the loss of trees in our residential communities. As smaller houses are replaced by larger ones, tree canopy has been lost.
“Developers regularly clear cut lots in order to make building a home easier. Replacing the lost large, mature trees with an eight-foot sapling may restore some of the lost tree canopy, but not for many, many years. It is time for the City to take a hard look at the canopy we have lost, and to take steps to restore it. That will require a review of our zoning and building codes for commercial and residential areas, and changes that will maintain the trees we have and require the planting of new ones. The City should take the first step by replacing the many street trees that have been lost over recent years and not replaced.”
Tree canopy issues in Virginia are a significant environmental concern, reflecting both the benefits and challenges related to urban and suburban growth, climate change, and land development. As of recent reports, Virginia’s urban tree canopy covers about 35 percent of the state’s population centers, with disparities across different regions, and ongoing efforts are essential to address the growing need for conservation, restoration, and expansion of this critical natural resource.
Tree canopies offer a wide range of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide shade and cooling, helping to lower urban heat island effects, which are particularly important in densely populated areas. By reducing temperatures, tree canopies can decrease energy costs, improve air quality, and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfalls. Trees also improve mental and physical health by offering green spaces for recreation, stress relief, and aesthetic enjoyment.
In addition to their immediate benefits, trees play a vital role in the health of the broader ecosystem. Their root systems stabilize the soil, prevent erosion, and filter rainwater, which can reduce stormwater runoff. They also help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. However, managing these tree canopies effectively in Virginia has become increasingly complex due to several factors, including urbanization, invasive species, and climate change.
Urbanization and suburban sprawl are among the primary drivers behind the loss of tree canopy in Virginia. As cities and towns expand, forests and wooded areas are often cleared for residential, commercial, and industrial development. This leads to fragmented landscapes where tree cover becomes sparse or highly concentrated in isolated patches, further degrading the environment and ecosystem services provided by trees. In many of Virginia’s largest cities, such as Richmond, Norfolk, and Arlington, development pressures have reduced the proportion of tree canopy in urban areas. For instance, Richmond has seen a significant decline in its tree canopy over the last few decades due to rising housing demand and infrastructure projects.
The effects of climate change also present a growing challenge to maintaining Virginia’s tree canopy. Increased temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts, heavy rain, and hurricanes, stress existing tree populations. Warmer temperatures may encourage the spread of pests and diseases that target vulnerable tree species, such as the emerald ash borer and the gypsy moth. Additionally, severe storms can cause tree loss or damage, reducing canopy coverage and hindering recovery efforts.
Moreover, climate change can alter the suitability of habitats for certain tree species, leading to shifts in the composition of Virginia’s forests. Species that thrive in cooler, more temperate climates may struggle to adapt to warmer conditions, which could result in shifts toward non-native or invasive tree species that are more resilient but less beneficial for local wildlife.
Efforts to address Virginia’s tree canopy challenges have emerged at various levels of government, non-profit organizations, and communities. The state has been proactive in implementing tree planting programs to increase canopy coverage, with a focus on urban areas. For example, the Virginia Department of Forestry collaborates with localities to plant trees, especially in areas where canopy cover is most threatened.
Cities like Richmond and Alexandria have developed tree canopy master plans that aim to conserve and expand urban forests, utilizing community engagement and data-driven assessments to prioritize areas for planting and care. Additionally, tree ordinances and incentives for developers to incorporate green spaces into new developments have gained traction in some localities.
Public-private partnerships are also essential in addressing the canopy gap. Local nonprofit organizations, such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Tree Fredericksburg, work to restore urban and suburban landscapes by organizing tree planting events and advocating for tree protection policies.
