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Seven native redbud trees took root beside Vienna’s Town Green on Arbor Day, marking a push to restore vegetation lost along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and prevent similarly aggressive clearing in the future.
Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn joined Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert, NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert, Virginia Del. Holly Seibold and other community leaders for the April 25, 2025, planting near Little Bear Run, behind the Freeman House and Museum.
The ceremony followed Dominion Energy’s removal of trees and shrubs beneath transmission lines along the trail between Vienna and Dunn Loring. The work left portions of the stream bank without mature trees, wildlife habitat or shade.
Alcorn said that although efforts to save the removed trees had failed, planting replacements reflected Arbor Day’s themes of renewal and environmental stewardship.
“The fact that we are here and we have a rebirth of trees really does show how important it is to come back,” Alcorn said.
Dave Gustafson, a Falls Church representative on the NOVA Parks Board, said the redbuds were chosen to symbolize hope and new beginnings. He said Dominion had also announced plans for aggressive cutting along the remaining 37 miles of trail beneath its transmission lines.
According to Gustafson, the clearing violated a 2005 memorandum governing vegetation removal and replanting along the corridor. NOVA Parks’ member jurisdictions and the Town of Vienna adopted separate resolutions asking Dominion to stop and instead use a more selective approach.
Local officials and NOVA Parks drafted a proposed 2025 vegetation-management memorandum with Dominion. Gustafson said the proposal calls for selective pruning, restoration of damaged areas and assistance controlling invasive plants while still protecting the safety of the company’s transmission system.
Visitor center envisioned beside the trail
Officials also announced that NOVA Parks and Vienna had signed an option agreement to acquire two properties: a vacant commercial building at 125 Church Street and the historic bank building across the street.
The Church Street office building stands beside the W&OD Trail and has no tenants. Gilbert said the plan is to demolish it and build a visitor center that could establish Vienna as a hub at the geographic midpoint of the 45-mile trail.
NOVA Parks and the town expect to pursue additional funding in the coming months. Plans also call for separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
Gilbert connected the proposal to Vienna’s railroad history, saying an improved trail could deliver environmental, transportation, historic, cultural and community benefits.
Colbert said the project remains at the beginning of the visioning process and must undergo a feasibility study. If it moves forward, she said, the visitor center could provide a significant boost to Vienna’s economy.
She credited NOVA Parks and Congressman Gerry Connolly with advancing the concept, including Connolly’s work to secure federal funding supporting the project.