Herndon’s tree canopy coverage isn’t bad for a town of its size, but it notably lags behind some of its neighbors, town staff say.
At a work session on Tuesday (Sept. 9), arborist Nick Maletta told the Herndon Town Council that the town currently has 26% canopy coverage, which falls within a standard range but at the lower end of that spectrum.
“Typically, a locality our size falls between 25% and 35%, so we’re within the normal range, but typically, they will also set goals for about 35-40% canopy goals,” Maletta said. “But we have pretty significant planting opportunities to increase our canopy along the street as well as opportunities on private property.”
In comparison, the Town of Vienna, which has recently prioritized tree preservation, has tree coverage over 38.7% of its land, and Falls Church City leads smaller Northern Virginia localities at 48%.
According to Maletta, Herndon has a “tree equity score” — a measurement of tree canopy’s equitable coverage around a region — of 85 out of 100, which is “not too bad.”
The town has also had some success with grant funding that has helped with tree trimmings, dead tree removal, and planting of more trees.
Over the last year, Maletta said Herndon has trimmed 13 trees, removed 99 dead or hazardous trees and planted 151 trees, many of them along Alabama Drive and its side roads.
For the future, the town has identified:
- 990 trees that require pruning
- 184 trees that need removal
- 2,736 potential tree planting sites
Maletta noted that much of this was funded from grants, including $91,000 for tree planting from Virginia Trees for Clean Water and $65,000 for Urban and Community Forestry.
While Herndon has benefited from those grants, Maletta emphasized that they’re not something Herndon can rely on as a sustainable way of increasing the tree canopy.
“Most grants we received from Virginia Department of Forestry and grant funding can be inconsistent and unreliable,” Maletta said, “but we’ve had big successes with that and we’ll continue to pursue those opportunities.”
Building on the canopy coverage analysis, the town’s goals for this fiscal year include developing an urban forestry management plan that will set clear priorities, guide financing and help identify needs for enhancing Herndon’s trees in the long term.
The Town of Herndon is also planning to introduce a donation program allowing private residents, businesses and community organizations to fund tree plantings. Staff anticipate launching the program this fall.
