Letter: Fairfax Healthy Communities Calls on Dominion to Halt W&OD Trail Clear-Cutting

WABA jointly submitted this letter to Dominion Energy on March 28th, calling for an immediate end to clear-cutting all vegetation along the W&OD Trail in Northern Virginia.

You can view this document in PDF form here.

March 28, 2025

Joseph A. Woomer

SVP, Electric Transmission

Dominion Energy

PO Box 26666

Richmond, VA 23261-6666

Dear Mr. Woomer:

The above 11 organizations, as part of the Fairfax Healthy Communities Network, envision a Fairfax County where people can live, work, and play in connected communities that are healthy, sustainable, and inclusive. We are writing to ask Dominion to re-evaluate its plans for tree cutting on the W&OD Trail in order to minimize tree loss and take a more thoughtful approach.

The W&OD Trail is an active transportation and ecological gem
The W&OD Trail is one of the most popular parks in northern Virginia, with nearly 3 million visitors annually. The 45-mile trail provides a vital bike and pedestrian route for recreation and transportation. The tree canopy lining both sides of the trail has significant environmental benefits, providing green infrastructure to naturally absorb stormwater, and reduce flooding and erosion; absorbing greenhouse gas emissions; and providing native wildlife habitat. It also provides quality of life benefits for trail users, as well as residents and businesses along the trail, including shade and buffering between the trail and nearby neighborhoods.

Since 2005, Dominion and NOVA Parks have coordinated tree practices on the W&OD per a Memorandum of Understanding on vegetative management which has both moderated cutting and assured replanting. This has been a win-win solution for all concerned, with the growth of tree canopy and continued reliability of power.

Dominion’s current tree-cutting plans are devastating
The plans to cut almost all of the trees on the section of the W&OD from Shirlington to Leesburg mark a radical departure from these practices that have worked so effectively for the past twenty years. Dominion has also provided inadequate remediation and restoration plans. This 33-mile section encompasses hundreds of acres of land, of which Dominion has only promised to cover a limited number of acres with remediation to restore native habitat, generally with meadow plantings which provide far less ecological, stormwater, and shade benefits than mature native trees. In addition, Dominion has now announced a severe limit to the height of replanted trees to a 10’ maximum, drastically reducing the amount of shade for users of the trail.

This swath of the trail runs through the most urbanized areas in the corridor in Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Loudoun. The millions of visitors every year attest to how much the area’s residents value this recreational greenway. Removing almost all the trees would have devastating impacts for trail users and the environment.

Please retain prior approach of selective tree cutting
We ask that Dominion end its plans to cut most of the trees on this 33-mile section of the trail, and continue its practices of selective pruning of trees that pose a direct impact to transmission lines. Where tree cutting is necessary, Dominion should replant those areas with a mix of native species designed to support birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and manage these and other areas of the park for invasive species for enough years to allow native species and related habitat to establish themselves. Dominion should also adopt a vegetation height limit that allows for a wider variety of native trees.

Thank you for considering our views.

Sincerely yours,

Susan Bonney, Sierra Club Great Falls Group

Sonya Breehey, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Whitney Redding, Friends of Holmes Run

Renee Grebe, Nature Forward

Kevin O’Brien, Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Glenda Booth, Friends of Dyke Marsh

Mostafa ElNahass, YIMBYs of NOVA

Tom Blackburn, Advocacy Committee Chair, Northern Virginia Bird Alliance

Ting Waymouth, NoVA New Leaf, CCAN's Northern VA Chapter

Christopher Topoleski, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

Cc:

Hon. David Bulova, Virginia House of Delegates

Hon. Holly Seibold, Virginia House of Delegates

Hon. Irene Shin, Virginia House of Delegates

Hon. Marcus Simon, Virginia House of Delegates

Hon. Rip Sullivan, Virginia House of Delegates

Hon. Jennifer Boysko, Senate of Virginia

Hon. Barbara Favola, Senate of Virginia

Hon. Russet Perry, Senate of Virginia

Hon. Saddam Salim, Senate of Virginia

Hon. Jeffrey McKay, Chair, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Hon. Walter Alcorn, Fairfax County Supervisor, Hunter Mill District

Hon. Andres Jimenez, Fairfax County Supervisor, Mason District

Hon. Dalia Palchik, Fairfax County Supervisor, Providence District

Hon. Kathy Smith, Fairfax County Supervisor, Sully District

Hon. James Walkinshaw, Fairfax County Supervisor, Braddock District

Hon. James Bierman, Fairfax County Supervisor, Dranesville District

Hon. Rodney Lusk, Fairfax County Supervisor, Hunter Mill District

Hon. Daniel Storck, Fairfax County Supervisor, Mount Vernon District

Hon. Pat Herrity, Fairfax County Supervisor, Springfield District

Hon. Letty Hardi, Mayor, City of Falls Church

Hon. Linda Jane Colbert, Mayor, Town of Vienna

Hon. Keven LeBlanc, Mayor, Town of Herndon

More about Trails

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WABA's trail advocacy is focused on connecting gaps in our region's trail network; ensuring existing trails are maintained and upgraded to meet current design standards; and expanding the network into underserved parts of the region.

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We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.