As the summer sun burns down on the surrounding landscape, turning the grass brown and causing a few cases of heat stroke, the first thing those out and about do is head for the shade. In the Town of Vienna, officials are looking to make the shade readily available by conserving the number of trees with an amendment to the Town Code to shift the approach from tree replacement to tree conservation during land development.

Trees take years to grow to the size where they would be part of the tree canopy so tree ordinance changes were adopted during the Council’s regular meeting on Monday, April 29. The new laws include requirements and incentives for developers to conserve existing trees rather than replace them, the meeting text read. To follow this initiative, they also created a Tree Advocacy Committee that will report to both the Town’s Conservation and Sustainability Commission and to the Town Council.

At first look out on the streets of Vienna, there are trees all around so what’s the issue, one might ask. But according to a study in 2022, Vienna’s tree coverage declined by 13 percent between 2011 and 2021. Vienna’s tree canopy coverage is currently at about 38.7 percent which is lower than the coverage in Falls Church but higher than the tree coverage in the City of Alexandria.

Mayor Linda Colbert and a majority of the residents are happy with the attention the shade coverage has gotten. It started with a requirement for new trees. But because it would take some time for them to grow enough to provide any amount of shade, the town came up with a new ordinance that would encourage builders to save older and certain types of trees. For town property, the Maud Robinson Trust allocated $50,000 for new trees and the council approved $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to spend on a new tree planting initiative.

Tree City Designation

Vienna has always been a leader in tree coverage by the Arbor Day Foundation who labeled the town as “Tree City USA,” at one point, so officials want that to continue with this new ordinance. To be in line with the tree plan, developers will continue to be required to submit a site plan to the Town that details a tree inventory, tree preservation measures and tree replacement as necessary, as part of the construction permitting process, the Town said.

The Arbor Day Foundation started the "Tree City USA," program in 1976 for a "greener, healthier America," they said, and hoped this idea would spread. Their Tree City USA idea started with 42 communities in 16 states and grew to 3,600 communities in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Benefits of Trees:

Trees in the community add all kinds of benefits the Arbor Day Foundation says, including:

* Trees help absorb the sounds of traffic in urban areas by 40%.

* Neighborhoods with trees are seven to nine degrees cooler than those without.

* Trees reduce energy costs up to 25% by shading buildings and protecting them from winter winds.

* Homes with trees have higher property values.

* Green space plays a major role in improving mental and physical health.

* Planting and maintaining trees absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mitigating the effects of climate change.