Fairfax County's Tree Commission and Environmental Quality Advisory Council could be dissolved as soon as Aug. 25, replaced by a single Environmental Commission that the Tree Commission's own chair warns will dilute the county's focus on tree preservation at a time when residents are already frustrated by canopy loss from infill development.
County Executive Bryan Hill's office recommended dissolving both advisory bodies and folding their work into the new commission, according to Annandale Today, which first reported the proposal Aug. 7. Some Tree Commission duties would shift instead to the Urban Forest Management Division in the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the plan at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, in the Board Auditorium at the Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway in Fairfax.
Tree Commission chair warns of reduced oversight
Barbara Ryan, chair of the Tree Commission, laid out her objections in a June 30 letter to Brianne Fuller, countywide coordinator in the county executive's office.
The new commission's draft bylaws would reserve just one seat for a member with forestry and natural resources expertise, Ryan wrote. The current Tree Commission requires that kind of knowledge across its membership and maintains a direct advisory role on the county's Tree Conservation Ordinance.
"The timing of this is particularly unfortunate given citizen angst about tree loss resulting from residential infill development across the county, how the Ordinance is being implemented, and overall confusion about the county's tree preservation rules," Ryan wrote in the letter.
Ryan urged the Board, if it proceeds, to strengthen the new commission's bylaws to ensure the urban forest receives dedicated attention.
Kevin Holland, the Mason District representative on the Tree Commission, told Annandale Today in its Aug. 7 report that the outcome appears settled. "The decision has already been made," Holland said.
What each body does now
The Tree Commission advises the Board on urban forest conservation and preservation and conducts community outreach on tree protection. EQAC advises on air and water quality, land use, energy and climate policy, operating under the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.
For McLean and Great Falls residents in the Dranesville District, both bodies have served as channels to raise concerns about development-related tree removal and environmental impacts in their neighborhoods.
What's next
EQAC is scheduled to hold what the county calendar lists as a farewell celebration Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Ozzie's Good Eats in Fairfax, followed by its regular monthly meeting at the Government Center that evening.
The Board's Environmental Committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 22 at 11 a.m. at the Government Center. Meeting materials had not been posted as of Aug. 11.
Residents who want to testify at the Aug. 25 hearing may do so in person, in writing, by phone or by video. Speakers must register at fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speakers-form.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman's office did not respond to a request for comment. The McLean Ledger asked his office for a statement on Aug. 11.
