Executive Summary
The Premise
Trees provide huge yet undervalued economic and social value to the Northern Virginia region. The region has experienced a significant decline in tree canopy coverage due to growing population and increasingly dense urban and suburban development. This decline has a negative impact on residents and businesses that benefit from the ecosystem services that our tree stock provides. While tree canopy restoration is a major priority in the region, progress is limited in part due to conflicting views on the scope of the problem and appropriate steps to address it. It is a basic premise of this initiative that there must be a coming together of major stakeholder groups to understand how others perceive the problem, address barriers to joint progress, identify actions that will address the problem effectively, and provide motivation for proactive support for such actions that address the interests of all parties.
Long-Term Goals and Objectives
The long-term goal of Restore NoVa Forests is to create a regional campaign with local program implementation to help restore a minimum of 40% coverage tree canopy in urban and suburban areas of Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax and 50% canopy coverage for the entire region by 2035, with active support provided by a broad range of public and private sector organizations. Specific objectives:
- Build regional and local capacity to sustain and restore tree stock.
- Use current programs to bring in private and public partners who will support program goals.
- Adopt innovative approaches to protect tree stock and support planting many new trees.
- Ensure that citizens of all demographic and socio-economic groups will benefit from this initiative.
- Contribute to and be a model for other localities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Near-Term Objectives
EcoAction Arlington volunteers will contact and interview a broad range of interested stakeholders, including representatives of local government and advisory commissions, non-governmental organizations focused on trees and related issues, regional business leaders (including chambers of commerce and the construction industry), civic federations, and technical experts.
Based on stakeholder interviews, EcoAction Arlington will explore convening a facilitated dialogue session to seek consensus on program principles and objectives. The tentative timeframe for this session is November 2024. Advance feedback from participants will inform the agenda. The dialogue will enable stakeholders to agree on a program framework and to make post-meeting commitments to express support and contribute to program actions. Contributions may be financial, organizational, and/or in kind. Different organizations will lead program actions based on their individual interests. Overall program management, oversight, tracking and reporting progress will be defined, with the possibility of periodic group meetings. Agreed-upon program elements may include: tree planting campaigns, public education and awareness, local capacity-building, data gathering, and joint legislative proposals. EcoAction Arlington’s ongoing role(s) will be determined based on dialogue outcomes and organization capacity.
What You Can Do: More Composting Options for Arlington