Between 2014 and 2018, the Chesapeake Watershed lost more than 95-hundred acres of trees. It’s distressing news for Ann Jurczyk with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
“Forests filter our drinking water, and they capture carbon. They cool our cities, so they reduce energy usage. They also reduce flooding and polluted storm water runoff.”
So her group is backing nine bills before the General Assembly. One would fund a study of what we have left.
“It’s also going to create a baseline assessment of the health of our forests and our urban and suburban tree canopies. We’ll look at things like invasive species and land use changes.
Another would enable local communities to require that developers protect trees where possible and replace those that cannot be saved.
“The locality can establish a tree fund that the developer would pay into if they cannot meet the requirement on site.”
Right now only Arlington and Fairfax Counties have a tree ordinance.
Other bills would encourage developers to consider saving trees before they begin construction and require VDOT to craft tree restoration plans before widening highways.
Because they also are one of the largest owners of turf where there is the opportunity to plant trees.”
