By Anne Bodine, VP of Development

Arlington covers approximately 26 square miles and the county’s Forestry and Natural Resources Plan (FNRP) calls for a total tree canopy of 40%.  Lyon Park covers about 300 acres, so a 40% goal gets us to 120 acres of canopy (think of it as how much area is covered by shade). But that’s not the whole story.

That Was Then.  Prior to 2024, we relied on data from four canopy surveys.  Three were done by the county (2008, 2011, 2016) and one was done in 2021 by the private company Green Infrastructure Center or GIC.   In the 2016 survey, the county noted that “Lyon Park, Yorktown, and Tara-Leeway Heights have seen the largest drops…of -11%, -8%, and -7% respectively.”  Below are the 3 most recent results for Lyon Park’s total canopy; if trends from these surveys continued, we’d have only 15% by 2031.  

This is Now.  Fast forward to 2023, when the County contracted a new survey and also reached back to incorporate existing surveys done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Virginia.  Arlington is now using only these studies (from 2014, 2018, and 2023) to document our canopy, and says they use more reliable measuring techniques (LIDAR which uses aerial imaging).  These studies show that Lyon Park’s canopy grew from 29% to 33% from 2014 to 2023, i.e. a net growth vs. net loss.  (NOTE:  This also contrasts with the GIC data above showing our canopy at 28% in 2023.)

To clear up any confusion, Arlington senior Urban Forester Vincent Verweij will be our featured speaker at our LPCA meeting on March 12, at 7:30 in Lyon Park Community Center.  You can also explore the new findings at https://geocortex.arlingtonva.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=ACMaps.HTML5#.  Add “trees” in dropdown box called “layers” and then enter “tree canopy change 2014-2023” to see the whole county.  You can also search for a specific address; it will show areas of loss in orange, areas with no change in dark green and areas with growth in light green.  Please join the discussion March 12, our trees are a key resource for the entire county!