Dominion Energy said it will “temporarily pause” a forestry project along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail following complaints from various Virginia towns on how the project impacts the area’s natural environment.
Earlier this month, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties Board of Supervisors unanimously called on Dominion to pause the project, which would involve cutting down thousands of trees along a 33-mile section of the W&OD Trail.
The electricity company said it’s been 20 years since they performed forestry maintenance in the area.
“Tree growth now poses a risk of coming into contact with the transmission lines — either by falling on them or growing tall enough to touch them,” said Joseph Woomer, senior vice president of electric transmission for Dominion, in a letter to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority last week.
Woomer said that could jeopardize the reliability of customers’ electric service and the integrity of the regional power grid.
Dominion also said the trees must be removed to comply with federal requirements overseen by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
But Virginia officials and frequenters of the trail are upset with the tree clearing. One user took to the social media platform X posting “Stop the chop” and “#TreesAreBeautiful” in response to the forestry project.
The electric company is currently in the first stage of its project which includes four miles of trail. The second phase of the project, originally scheduled to begin this summer, calls for additional tree cutting along the remaining 29 miles.
On March 18, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties Board of Supervisors asked Dominion to pause the tree cutting.
In response, Dominion said it plans to complete operations on the current four-mile section, but will reevaluate work on the remaining 29 miles using a comprehensive review of remaining trees and engagement with the community.
Last week, the Vienna Town Council unanimously voted on a resolution to request an end to Dominion Energy’s tree cutting along the trail.
“The Council and I are asking Dominion to work with the Town on replanting and replacing what they’ve already cut down here in Vienna as soon as possible,” Vienna Mayor Lina Colbert said in a news release. “We look forward to their cooperation in helping us continue to protect our environment.”
Per request from the town council, Dominion also said it’s working with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority on a long-term plan for replanting pollinator areas and low-growing native species while also protecting the transmission lines.
Dominion said they bought the W&OD property in 1968 to develop electric transmission lines. In 1977, they sold the property to the park authority under the agreement that the electric company would maintain the broader right of way for the transmission lines.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include details about which town councils advocated for Dominion to pause the project.
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