Planned removal of Park Avenue library trees

The Park Avenue Great Streets project is intended to transform a three block section of Park Avenue into a “Great Street”. At the April 19, 2023, Urban Forestry Commission meeting, Falls Church resident Charlie Lord asked the arborist to look into the landscape plans included in the 60% design of the Park Avenue Great Streets Project. These plans include the removal of trees in front of the library that had only recently been planted.

Mr. Lord had submitted a detailed letter, available here, that also identified an additional 15 trees that appear to be in critical danger from construction disturbance although the plan does not indicate that these trees will be removed. The Falls Church News Press also published a letter written by him and Erin Flynn raising the alarm about possible loss of trees as a result of the project, FCNP April 27, 2023.

The 60% design was the first time the landscape plans for the project had been released. City Arborist, Charles Prince, was surprised that three newly planted trees around the library would be removed. He questioned the need for their removal and concurred with Mr. Lord that some mature trees could be destroyed.

The installation of brick paver sidewalks along Park Avenue would require excavating to a depth of at least 14 inches, enough to destroy the vital surface roots of any tree next to the sidewalk. A tree standing next to a sidewalk would be critically damaged as half its roots would be destroyed. There are at least 15 such trees identified in the design.

Charles Prince would like the consultants Volkert, Inc., to provide much more information and analysis about the existing trees and how each will be affected by the project. He indicated that the trees had not been properly inventoried and surveyed in the plan.

The video clip (2m 33s) is shown below, followed by the transcript. The City recording of the full meeting is available here. The landscape design pages discussed in the video may be found here.

Transcript (edited for readability)

Prince: One other thing I really noticed – it actually kind of caught me by surprise. I kind of caught it by chance. These two new trees here by the library that are in the planters, they want to take out. I’m suggesting against that. I still have to talk with Jenny at the library. We’ve been trying to connect this week, but it just hasn’t worked out. But we’ll get together and connect.

They want to put gardens around the street light poles, which I’m also recommending against because they’re going to have to get serviced at some point. They’re just going to dig up the garden and the irrigation and other things like that.

Commission Chair Amy Crumpton: Wasn’t that a conversation that already happened when the library was being redeveloped, too? That was an issue, too – people wanted this and this, and we’re like no, no because there’s traffic there. It’s not going to work. Also, …they just replaced a bunch of the trees at the library, too, correct? Did the trees that you’re suggesting should stay- are they brand new because the other ones died because the landscape person or whoever it was didn’t take care of them?

Prince: No, I think all these trees have survived planting. There was a cherry tree kind of right here that died and was replaced, but the others are okay. So, they’re adding some streetscape planters here. They’re recommending understory trees here. Of course, I am commenting on that – to not use understory trees. But, yes, I mean they’re redoing a lot of sidewalks here, and, as Charlie mentioned, so these trees here, these are type C – I think that’s a very generous rating in the sense of the survivability of trees. These trees are already up against sidewalks heaving them and the adjacent parking lot.

So, again, that’s why I’m asking for the arborist or architect to…explain the ratings. …This is what Charlie’s talking about. These are fairly big trees. Whether they’re savable or not, that’s really going to be kind of conditional on how much disturbance they’re going to do. But if they want to do brick, they’re going to have to go down pretty far. [These trees are] not likely to be able to survive.