The Falls Church City Council this week mulled a proposal introduced by City Arborist Kate Reich to change the name of the volunteer Tree Commission to the Urban Forestry Commission, and to add an alternate member to its current membership of five.

According to a staff report, “The commission’s advice on broader goals and policies relating to tree canopy and green space cover is of great value to the City, and this broader view is commonly referred to as urban forestry.”

Although Falls Church has taken in its role as a Tree City USA going back over a century, a Tree Commission was not formally established by the City Council until 1978.