So Many People, So Few Trees
Leesburg Invites HOAs to Meeting on Reforesting Town

By Arianne Aryanpur
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 13, 2007

Leesburg Town Council member Kenneth D. Reid remembers driving on Sycolin Road near Tolbert Lane and admiring the thick, tall cedar trees. But last year, most of those trees were leveled to make way for Oaklawn, a residential and commercial development.

"They were pretty much hacked apart to build this development and widen the road," Reid said.

The scene was a familiar one in Leesburg, where town officials are struggling to preserve the number of trees in the face of increasing development. As part of that mission, they will have a "tree summit" next week to which representatives of several homeowners associations have been invited.

A 2001 study by the nonprofit group American Forests found that trees covered 8 percent of the town, compared with 28 percent in 1992. Although updated data won't be available until later this year, town officials said it's unlikely the 8 percent figure has gotten any higher.

Leesburg has the authority to require that developers replant as many trees as they level. But it usually takes a long time for a new tree to reach the height and fullness of the one it replaced, said Jay Banks, Leesburg's urban forester.

"We are continuing to lose trees," Banks said. "We're losing the large canopy trees due to development, and small trees are growing back" in their place.

Last year, the town adopted a plan to help guide tree recovery and preservation. It included suggestions on legislation, funding and tree maintenance. The town's long-term goal is to attain 40 percent tree coverage.

Next week's summit, sponsored by the Leesburg Tree Commission, is primarily for the grounds and landscaping committees of the town's homeowners associations but is open to all residents, said Reid, who is the Town Council's liaison to the commission.

At the meeting, town officials not only will stress the importance of tree planting but also will talk about the proper techniques for planting and maintaining trees, Reid said.

"We've seen this pattern of homeowners associations who put these trees in the ground and they die," he said, giving an example: "On the Leesburg Bypass between Sycolin Road and East Market Street, there are these little stubby cherry trees that were planted many years ago by some garden club, and they weren't cared for properly and they aren't growing.

"We're trying to get all the HOAs, anyone who has a budget to plant trees, together and explain what they have to do to put them in the ground and take care of them," Reid said.

With only 20 percent of Leesburg considered public land, Banks said the primary responsibility for restoring and preserving trees falls on homeowners.

"We can't use public tax dollars to plant trees on private property. But we can go to HOAs and say that if you buy better-quality trees and have them professionally installed, you will grow better trees for the community and there will be an added benefit for the town," Banks said.

The benefits of trees are environmental, economic and social, he said. The shade provided by trees helps control air pollution and reduces the formation of ozone in the atmosphere. Trees also intercept storm water, offsetting the need for towns to build retention facilities.

Studies have shown that people are more likely to frequent shopping centers that have trees and to spend more money at those businesses, Banks said.

Kathleen Wolf, a researcher at the University of Washington who has explored the psychological and social benefits of urban greenery, says the presence of trees outside office buildings has been found to improve workers' attitudes and reduce stress. And one study concluded that motorists drove more slowly on a tree-lined road than on a treeless road with the same speed limit.

The tree summit will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the lower level of Ida Lee Recreation Center in Leesburg.

Those interested in attending should call 703-771-2765 for information.