Dominion Energy says it must clear-cut ALL vegetation along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in the name of ‘safety’. We call BS. Join the chorus of trail supporters demanding that Dominion halt its clear-cutting plan, return to the negotiating table with NOVA Parks, and reinstate the selective pruning policy that’s worked for decades.
Background
The Washington & Old Dominion Trail-Park (or “W&OD”) celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, a remarkable milestone for one of Northern Virginia’s most iconic and popular recreational spaces. What began as a novel and community-driven concept – converting an old and overgrown rail right-of-way into a linear park and trail – has proven to be incredibly successful and replicated now all across America.
Today, the W&OD is a 45-mile green oasis stretching from Arlington to Purcellville and offering fresh air and a car-free place to walk, bike, and play for nearly 3 million visitors annually. The trail is a key spine route within the region’s 1,100-mile paved trail network, facilitating countless emissions-free bicycle and micromobility trips. It also serves as a critical eco-corridor through the bustling Northern Virginia suburbs, its leafy canopy offering green space, absorbing stormwater and CO2, and supporting myriad native wildlife.
Unfortunately, recent developments have revealed the vulnerability of this cherished space. Earlier this year, Dominion Energy – owner of the transmission lines that run above much of the trail corridor – abruptly cleared 4 miles of trees and vegetation and announced its plans to completely clear-cut along the entire trail. Community opposition has been unanimous with advocates from across the region and issue spectrum banding together with NOVA Parks and elected leaders in every adjoining jurisdiction to demand an immediate halt to the destructive clear-cutting and a return to the more selective pruning policy that had served the region for the last two decades.
Dominion did relent and temporarily paused its chainsaws in March, but the specter of a deforested park and trail looms ominously without a new long term vegetation management agreement. As of this writing, Dominion has publicized its intention to resume its clear-cutting operation in June, still without a plan for restoration and without coordination or further negotiations with NOVA Parks.
A park and trail without trees makes for a less vibrant ecosystem, worsens stormwater runoff, and is simply a much less pleasant place to spend time in for the many thousands of daily visitors. Dominion thinks they have the right to do whatever they want – we need the trail community to stand up and say NO to their unilateral plan. A community asset like the W&OD requires community input.