James City County is working on a program that John McGlennon, chair of the board of supervisors, hopes will lead to 100,000 new trees being planted across 10 years.
McGlennon calls it “Re-Tree JCC.” The county intends to formally announce the program and its framework near Arbor Day in April.
“It reinforces the idea that we’re trying to be in harmony with nature and trying to be the kind of community that really values a protection of our environment and the benefits that trees generally provide,” McGlennon said after a Thursday board retreat.
He’s been talking about the idea for the past two years, inspired by successful reforestation efforts in Scotland.
Deforestation is not as drastic in James City County as in Scotland; about two-thirds of the county is still covered with trees, compared to about 18% of Scottish land. Continuing development in James City County, however, is slowly reducing the canopies.
The county lost a net 667 acres of tree cover between 2014 and 2021, according to the Chesapeake Tree Canopy Network, an online hub sponsored by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Program Forestry Workgroup and the U.S. Forest Service.
McGlennon sees the plan as a proactive step to reducing streambank erosion, improving quality of life and lowering temperatures in more densely developed areas that have become “heat islands.”
“I think it’s not a hard sell to the community to say let’s see what we can do about increasing our stock of trees,” he said.
It wasn’t a hard sell for board members, either; at the retreat, supervisors supported staff continuing to form the program’s outline.
The county has already purchased 1,000 redbud and red maple saplings to distribute at community events, building on a program launched last year. Early discussions point toward three program goals: engaging residents on where they think plantings should be focused, working with the community to determine what type of native trees to prioritize and protecting existing trees.
Staff is looking to Chesapeake’s volunteer-focused model as an example; administrators are considering hiring a part-time arborist to help manage and grow the volunteer base and inform its policies. They’re looking at possible grants through the Chesapeake Bay Compact to support the work.
“If it can gain traction, I think the resources will follow,” McGlennon said.
Tracy Wainwright, representing the Powhatan District, expects willing volunteers among the many civic-minded organizations and school groups in the county..
“The seed program at the library has done really well, which shows us that people are ready to engage in this type of project,” she said. “I just see a huge opportunity.”
