For Immediate Release August 02, 2004

For more information: Chris Guidi 703-787-2065 or Mike Rouen 703-454-9777

Preservation Plan: One New Tree for Every Tree Removed

Fort Belvoir Residential Communities will relocate and plant new trees

Fort Belvoir, Va. - Trees got nearly as much attention as the home designs when planners sketched out the new family housing construction projects at Fort Belvoir.

While many trees are being removed to prepare for new homes at the Army post, Fort Belvoir Residential Communities (FBRC) is either planting a new tree or transplanting an existing tree for every tree that is removed.

Part of the renovation process includes an arborist's review of all the trees in a neighborhood. Trees were ranked according to their species, diameter, form, defects and health. FBRC uses the tree rankings when designing the new neighborhoods to preserve and incorporate the most desirable trees into the new community designs.

"For every tree to be permanently removed, we're committed to replanting an equal number of trees - if not more," explains Chris Guidi, project director.

Construction crews are in their seventh month of work and are handling trees in a number of ways:

• Temporarily moving trees to a "tree farm," where they are maintained until they are replanted near newly completed homes. "The trees will make the new neighborhoods feel more established," Guidi says.
• Identifying trees as "anchor points" for neighborhood features such as parks. The branches and roots of these trees are carefully pruned, and the trees are fenced off to increase their chances of surviving the construction process.
• Leaving trees in their natural state as buffers along main roads and in environmentally sensitive areas, such as around stream beds.

The first construction phases have focused in the areas of Herryford, Lewis Heights and Vernondale villages. New homes should be ready for their first residents sometime this winter.

Residents with questions about the tree management program should contact their community managers.

Updates on the Fort Belvoir Residential Communities are available online at www.belvoirfamilyhousing.com.

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Note to editors: For more information about this Army housing project, please contact the Fort Belvoir Family Housing Office at 703-454-9700.

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