column

This recurring Real Estate feature is sponsored by The Eli Residential Team. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service. This week’s post is written by Carolanne Korolowicz.

In Arlington, the contention between urban development and environmental preservation is ever present. Citizens went to bat to save Arlington’s tree canopy during the Missing Middle debacle, there are environment-focus ballot measures almost every election, and plenty of local associations with a mission to preserve the county’s green landscape. But, did you know that debating over trees is actually an Arlington tradition? Before boundaries were even drawn, trees have been at the center of almost every development project.

On October 21, 1767, the stage was set by John Carlyle and Charles Alexander. The two prominent figures went to trial to dispute whose land (modern day Arlington and Alexandria City) was whose. Twenty-four witnesses gave their testimonies about the land boundaries defined by tree markers. Many of these witnesses were quoted mentioning the trees’ ages, whether they had been marked as line or corner trees, and the type of instrument used. With tree-defined boundary lines, the testimonies became a source of confusion rather than clarity.

In other historical accounts, it is clear that the DC-area forefathers viewed trees as part of the area’s heritage. A friend of Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Nothing affected Mr. Jefferson like this wanton destruction of the fine trees scattered over the (Federal) City grounds.” The friend also stated that Jefferson himself once said, “The unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the growth of centuries, seems to me a crime little short of murder.” As obvious by these statements, the conservation cause has always been one of great passion.

The acknowledgement of prominent trees has been documented over the centuries. George Washington’s survey oak in Glencarlyn being one of the first. Later in 1860, a large, anciently marked poplar tree was noted to be a landmark for the Cherrydale Neighborhood, but was cut down for the Washington and Old Dominion Railway in 1912. George Nicholas Saegmuller, an original owner of “Reserve Hill”– today’s Knights of Columbus Arlington Headquarters– planted a strip of evergreen forest from LIttle Falls Road to Old Dominion Drive as a homage to his homeland of Germany. Most importantly, the first tree to be given protection was one of the oldest oak trees of the Nation at the Grunwell Estate, located in Country Club Hills, in the late 19th century.

Citizens acting as stewards of wildlife are deeply rooted in the makeup of Arlington. This symbiotic relationship remains today through the Forest and Natural Resources Commission’s Notable Tree Nominations. Since 1987, the volunteer-led program has awarded over 400 significant trees and their caregivers. In 2024, eleven trees were selected, including four on Fort CF Smith, six in North Arlington and one located on the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive. Though not legally protected, the status has proved helpful when communicating the importance of conservation during development projects.

What makes for a notable tree? The committee looks for these three items: size, neighborhood value, and uniqueness. Nominations are due every year on October 31st – so it’s not too late to submit! For legal protection, an application must be submitted for a ‘Specimen Tree’ through the Trees and Shrubs Ordinance. This designation requires tree conservation and protection if development of a site occurs. Violations result in a civil penalty of up to $2,500. Applications are due September 30th every year.

As headbutting between developers and “tree-huggers” continues on, Arlington County has made efforts in favor of the area’s ecosystem over the decades. The citizens hold the power to improve these protections. Nominating trees for significance, or legal protection, is the easiest way to make a difference.

To quote the late local historian Eleanor Lee Templeman, “Although Arlington County has already lost a great deal of its forests through careless development of subdivisions, an awakened public concern over this priceless heritage will save a great deal of remaining beauty. Our stream valleys and palisades still possess true wilderness areas which must be preserved for posterity.” (Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County, 1959)