President of the Fairfax Tree Commission

President of the Fairfax Tree Commission

The McLean Trees Foundation (MTF) is a non profit organization that aims to preserve trees in McLean while educating the public on the value and benefits of trees.

At the Tree Forum at the McLean Community Center on March 25, 2015; community members met to discuss their opinions on maintenance and preservation of trees.

“We’re your voice in McLean on issues that matter to you,” MTF Chairman Joyce Zeitlin Harris said, “It’s a nice [and] easy way to get to know what’s going on in your community and have a chance to weigh in on issues that matter to you.”

These check-ins help reach Fairfax County’s goal of a 45% tree canopy by 2037.

“We’re all here because we are concerned about trees, particularly the mature trees in the county that are at risk for getting cut down by land developers,” said, President of the Fairfax Tree Commission, Robert Vickers.

These land developers often buy houses in older neighborhoods and tear them down while building a new house, taking down too many trees in the process.

Trees can greatly help the environment of the McLean community. They reduce surface runoff of rain water and can reduce soil erosion and sedimentation in streams. This results in less amounts of chemicals that can be transported to streams.

Hopefully, forums like these will provide McLean with more tree-lined, pedestrian friendly streets.