EcoAction Arlington is launching the Restore NoVa Forests Initiative, an effort to increase tree canopy across Northern Virginia by 2035.
The initiative “is a critical step in ensuring that Northern Virginia remains a healthy, vibrant place to live,” said Jim Lyon, an EcoAction Arlington board member.
The organization, working with partners, aims to explore “best practices” and opportunities to increase tree canopy regionally.
“By bringing together a wide range of perspectives and some fresh ideas, we hope to create a more unified approach to tree-canopy restoration that addresses the needs of our community and environment and achieve new levels in regional forest cover,” he said.
Northern Virginia has experienced a substantial decline in tree canopy due to population growth and urban development. The EcoAction Arlington initiative is in alignment with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ goals to achieve a minimum of 40-percent tree-canopy coverage in urban and suburban areas of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax, and to reach 50-percent canopy coverage across Northern Virginia in the coming decade.
