Residents say many of the trees that were cut shouldn’t have been taken down. News4’s Adam Tuss explains the controversy.
Crews have stopped cutting down trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Northern Virginia after residents expressed anger and frustration.
The National Park Service said the project was intended to "rehabilitate" views of the Potomac River between North Donaldson Overlook and Spout Run Parkway by removing about three acres of mostly non-native and invasive species of trees.
But a local park volunteer said workers removed trees that weren't supposed to be cut down, causing immeasurable damage.
"This is so clearly wrong, what they’ve done. I feel like I have to speak out," volunteer Glenn Tobin said.
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Tobin has worked with NPS to remove invasive plants from a section of the GW Parkway in Arlington. He said he realized on a recent hike that many of the trees he's worked to protect were wiped out.
"Finally, I realized - I’m in the forest, but it’s gone," Tobin said.
The park service cut down about 300 trees along the roadway.
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But Tobin and others said removing all of those trees could create other issues such as erosion or make it easier for invasive species to come into the park.
"What was approved was more selective cutting on non-native species," Arlington County Board Member Susan Cunningham said. "It appears that there was a mistake in there somewhere. They’ll do a full review.”
NPS said in a statement to the public it would begin a full review of the project.
“This will include opportunities for public engagement, ensuring transparency and community involvement. The NPS will not remove trees to restore vistas before we consider the results of the review and public engagement process,” the statement read in part.
Tobin said he's glad crews have stopped cutting down the trees.
"It’ll take 100 years for that forest to be re-established the way that it was," he said.
News4 reached out to NPS for comment, but hasn't yet heard back.
