To the editor:
We propose that city leaders consider achieving Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction credits through a major tree planting program rather than through the reconstruction of Taylor Run that is currently planned.
The program would not only help meet Alexandria’s Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction obligations, but would also advance several of the city’s other environmental goals, including its aspiration to be an “Eco-City” that in the words of the Eco-City Charter, “embraces natural beauty,” “improves water quality,” “clears the air” and “supports healthy living.”
Tree planting can provide Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction credits. A 2018 report by the Forestry Workgroup of the Chesapeake Bay Program states that “forests are a less-intensive land use and well known to be the best for protecting water quality.” The report states: