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A 66-acre land donation made nearly four decades ago is gaining renewed attention for protecting a globally rare forest, safeguarding a major drinking-water source and preserving ground crossed by thousands of Civil War troops.

Community leaders and residents gathered April 23 at Hickory Forest Park in Centreville to dedicate a sign commemorating Virginia Run’s contribution to Fairfax County. The community donated the property in 1987 as part of efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

John Litzenberger, a Virginia Run homeowners’ association member, estimated that the land is now worth more than $15 million. He said the anniversary also offers a reminder that protecting the local environment has consequences far beyond the park.

The property lies within the Bull Run Stream watershed, which drains toward the Occoquan Reservoir, one of Fairfax County’s primary drinking-water sources.

The new sign stands at the park entrance at the southern end of Smiths Trace. Community leaders hope it will introduce more residents to what Litzenberger called a “passive-recreation gem” while discouraging illegal dumping.

Contractor waste, yard clippings and other debris have been left on land donated for Chesapeake Bay restoration, Litzenberger said. The sign is intended to raise awareness and help protect the forest.

Virginia Run Community Association President Jay Johnson opened the ceremony. Attendees included Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith, former Sully Supervisor Michael Frey, Sully Planning Commissioner Evelyn Spain, and former planning commissioners Litzenberger and Jim Hart.

A donation that helped shape Sully’s parkland

The park’s history is tied to a major 1982 land-use decision. That year, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors downzoned 41,000 acres in western Fairfax to reduce the effects of intensive development on the Occoquan Watershed.

The change generally limited housing density in the affected area to one home per five acres. Fewer houses meant less pavement and other impervious surfaces, along with reduced fertilizer runoff entering streams that feed the Occoquan.

Litzenberger credited Frey, then chief of staff to Springfield District Supervisor Elaine McConnell, with helping make the change possible. Frey became the first Sully District supervisor after his 1991 election and took office in 1992.

Frey said Virginia Run’s donation ultimately helped create much more than Hickory Forest Park. It became the first public parkland in what grew into Sully Woodlands, now encompassing a few thousand acres.

During Frey’s tenure and Smith’s subsequent service, the county assembled additional properties once planned for development at densities similar to Virginia Run. The result is a community now surrounded by parkland, with some future community-oriented uses still anticipated.

Smith praised the residents who donated the land, saying the green space benefits the public while helping keep chemicals out of the Occoquan. She also said the sign matters because even some Virginia Run residents were unaware the park existed.

Fairfax County has more than 50,000 acres of open space available to the public, Smith noted.

A globally rare forest underfoot

Hickory Forest Park is identified as a diabase forest, a name derived from the type of rock beneath it. As diabase weathers over long periods, it forms soil with unusual characteristics, including a distinctive pH.

Hart explained that the soil is poorly suited to farming and does not drain well enough for conventional septic systems. Under the right conditions, however, it can sustain a highly diverse plant community.

The park stretches behind houses on the west side of Smiths Trace, with Bull Run Post Office Road running parallel on the opposite side of the woods.

Hart said the property is part of Virginia’s largest remaining stand of a globally rare oak-and-hickory forest growing on diabase soil. Together with adjoining forest, it forms a broad, connected habitat that protects water quality and gives wide-ranging wildlife room to feed.

The 1982 downzoning followed a study documenting declining Occoquan water quality from the 1950s through the 1970s. County supervisors identified impervious surfaces as the greatest single threat and reduced residential density accordingly.

Nonresidential development was also directed toward major roadway corridors. Smaller routes such as Bull Run Post Office Road were intended to remain largely forested instead of being lined with institutional buildings, expansive rooftops and parking lots.

The stakes extend both above and below ground. Stormwater flowing into drains and ditches eventually reaches the Occoquan Reservoir, while water entering the soil feeds underground aquifers. Homes along Bull Run Post Office Road and Virginia Run’s irrigation system rely on wells drawing from the same aquifer.

Hart said that shared dependence makes continued vigilance essential, including protecting parkland from development, pavement and pollution.

Spain, who lived in Virginia Run with her late husband, said they never knew about the forest. She welcomed the chance to help other residents discover the community asset.

Civil War troops crossed the forest

The land also carries Civil War history. Retired Marine Col. Richard Roan, who plans to lead a Scout troop in removing trash and debris from the woods, described it as “hallowed ground.”

During the First Battle of Bull Run, Confederate and Union forces occupied opposite sides of the area. Confederate troops were positioned near Bull Run, while roughly half the Union force moved through Virginia Run and the forest in an attempt to envelop them.

The Union troops reached the battlefield too late, and the Confederates won a decisive victory. Roan said about 30,000 Union troops marched through the area during the night, with skirmishes likely occurring along the route.

Some Americans died in the forest, he said, making Hickory Forest Park not only an environmental refuge, but also a place of history and remembrance.