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Fairfax County leaders are urging Dominion Energy to stop widespread tree removal along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and return to selective pruning while supporting habitat restoration.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution March 18 asking the utility to consider targeted pruning and replanting instead of clear-cutting vegetation beneath its transmission lines.

NOVA Parks owns and operates the 45-mile trail and its 100-foot-wide park corridor. Dominion’s transmission lines run above 33 miles of the route.

Paul Gilbert, NOVA Parks’ executive director, said the trail draws nearly 3 million uses annually. He warned that Dominion appears prepared to remove most trees beneath power lines along the entire 33-mile stretch.

Gilbert called on the company to stop cutting, resume the selective-pruning practices used for decades and undertake substantial habitat restoration wherever removals are necessary.

Concerns have grown since November 2024, when officials reacted to the clearing of trees and shrubs across a wide section of the trail between Vienna and Dunn Loring.

Beth Meyer, co-owner of Green Lizard Cycling near the trail, said she uses the Herndon section daily and regularly visits other portions. She hopes Dominion and local officials can reach a compromise that limits tree loss, noting that the vegetation supports the environment and provides shade for trail users.

Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc also backed the county resolution. He said the trail and its natural features are central to Herndon’s appearance, identity, environmental health and community life. LeBlanc said he is monitoring Dominion’s plans and working with town staff to assess potential effects.

The county’s action follows a Feb. 6, 2025, letter from Del. Holly Seibold to Dominion President Edward Baine. Seibold criticized the company for proceeding with extensive cutting without a comprehensive strategy to address damage to the environment and tree canopy.

She also objected to Dominion’s rejection of a 2005 vegetation-management memorandum of understanding and its decision not to fund NOVA Parks’ proposal for native grasses, flowers and shrubs that could create pollinator habitat.

Dominion offered a one-time donation, but Seibold said it was far below the amount needed to respond to the environmental damage. She urged the utility to work with NOVA Parks on a renewed vegetation-management agreement or provide adequate support for the native-replanting plan.