Fairfax County strives to enhance the quality of life in our community by ensuring the vitality of the urban forest and preserving the natural environment. Compatibility between the developed and natural communities is promoted through science, education, shared knowledge and strong partnerships. The Urban and Community Forestry Division (UCFD) is the primary county agency responsible for ensuring that development plans comply with the Tree Conservation Ordinance and monitoring pests that threaten the health of the forest in Fairfax County.
Resident Requests
Urban and Community Forestry is a resource for the public who may have questions about the County's urban forest, whether they need tree care advice or have management concerns about trees on public or private property. To assess the risk of trees that threaten the public at large or ask questions about impacts to trees resulting from construction activities, contact the Site Development and Inspections Division - Forest Conservation Branch at LDSSDIDAdmin@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0801 | TTY 711.
Forest Pest Management
The Forest Health Branch monitors and manages invasive forest pests that pose a threat to the County’s urban forest, such as spongy moth, fall cankerworm, and emerald ash borer. When potentially unsustainable levels of a closely monitored forest pest are detected, pest suppression programs are implemented when appropriate. They also provide support for the wide range of UCFD projects and partnerships, notably outreach and education.
Urban and Community Forestry plays an important role in promoting the benefits of conservation and enhancement of our urban forest by building strong partnerships with the public, industry professionals, other county agencies, and non-profit organizations. Among the many outreach activities conducted by Urban and Community Forestry to foster awareness of trees and their contribution to the community and the environment are school programs, tree planting projects, and webinars open to the public.
The policies and ordinances that regulate proper protection of our urban forest resources must be reviewed and updated periodically to optimize tree conservation and reflect current best management practices for trees and forests. The Tree Action Plan recommends making updates to urban forestry policies as one of the five (5) framework goals for maintaining our urban forest. Some of the work Urban and Community Forestry has done to support this goal is reflected in the updates to the Resilient Fairfax, Community-Wide Energy and Climate Action Plan (CECAP), and other County public health, livability and sustainability initiatives and programs.
Urban Foresters offer technical and administrative support to the Tree Commission's goals of providing urban forestry advice to the Board and contributing to the improvement of urban forestry specifications and guidelines. The Tree Commission and Urban and Community Forestry collaborate on initiatives such as the Tree Conservation Awards, Friends of Trees Awards, and updates to the Tree Action Plan.
Effective management of urban forest resources requires County-wide monitoring to assess the changes to the tree canopy. Urban and Community Forestry uses GIS imagery of tree canopy and forest inventory data to understand how development and other factors may be impacting tree canopy and forest ecosystem services. The data from these studies can be used to establish canopy goals and targeted plantings and conservation efforts to maximize limited resources. These studies also quantify the environmental benefits that trees provide which helps strengthen the County's commitment to practicing good environmental stewardship.
How have tree canopy and impervious surfaces changed from 2011 to 2015?
Tree canopy percent change by watershed
Tree canopy percent change by supervisory district
The Forest Conservation Branch of Land Development Services maximizes the opportunities for tree preservation on development plans and ensures that new tree plantings satisfy the balance of required tree canopy on development sites. The services provided by the Forest Conservation Branch are an integral part of the land development process and staff are involved with development plan review from the first submission of the plan to the plan's final approval.
To assess the risk of trees that threaten the public at large or ask questions about impacts to trees resulting from construction activities, contact the Site Development and Inspections Division - Forest Conservation Branch at LDSSDIDAdmin@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-222-0801 | TTY 711.
