Please consider urging our council members and mayor on removing the right to opt out of street trees in front of a house.  Help the town arborists restore our treelined streets!

Vienna is bleeding trees weekly due to teardowns.  There are many instances where a teardown lot has 60% or more tree coverage and under our new tree ordinance, is only required to have 25% coverage in 20 years.  This is a tremendous loss that ideally, we would try to recover somewhere else.  We need all the tools in the toolbox to make up for this loss, including planting all the trees we can in Town Right of Way strips.  

Trees and vegetation in urban environments cool local heat island effects and bring other benefits. Trees and vegetation (e.g., bushes, shrubs, tall grasses) lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and cooling through evapotranspiration. Trees and vegetation that directly shade buildings decrease demand for air conditioning, reduce energy use,  and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Trees improve air quality.  Airborne pollutants may deposit on tree leaves, directly removing them from the air.  Trees indirectly improve air quality by lowering energy use and the associated pollution from fossil fuel power generation. They enhance stormwater management and water quality. They improve quality of life through human interaction with nature which reduces high heart rate and blood pressure, and increases immune system function. Trees and vegetation provide essential habitat and food for many species, including pollinating insects, migratory birds, and small mammals (e.g., bats, squirrels). (EPA.gov Benefits of Trees and Vegetation)

Last year, the Tree Advocacy Committee received a briefing from the one of the town arborists, Matt Fuller, on the Green Streets Project.  We have all been impressed with the work that is regularly undertaken by the town arborists.  Matt has been methodically planting street trees by quadrant beginning in 2024.   However, in the briefing, we learned that homeowners can “veto” the planting of a street tree in the “tree lawn” in front of their house.  The street trees that are planted are of good caliper (2”); the trees are watered by town staff for 2 years and fertilized at the end of the 2nd to 3rd year.  The survival rate is greater than 90%, plus the town replaces trees that fail.  To forego planting trees under these ideal conditions is truly a missed opportunity to restore the Town’s tree canopy.

What difference would a change in policy make, you may ask?  Using data given us by Matt Fuller, we determined that the rate of opting out has been 18% over the past two years and amounted to 36 trees.  Applying 18% to the planned planting of 450 trees would result in 81 trees NOT planted over the next two years.  

As a resident, if you walk in neighborhood with new constructions you can feel what difference tree coverage can make in temperature. The change in tree canopy results in less shade and moisture to keep our town cool. These new construction areas also evaporate less water, which contributes to elevated surface and air temperatures. 

We urge our council members and mayor to pledge their support for this cause. Implementing such an initiative requires our community members cooperation and commitment, as well as  our local government support. We need policies that protect existing trees and encourage planting new trees.

Join us in this mission to secure a healthier planet for future generations. Sign the petition to show that you stand for a greener Vienna and are committed to making a tangible environmental impact.