The first rule in medicine is “do no harm.” The same rule should apply to government at any level. But governments can and do make mistakes because they are run by people, and people are human and sometimes make mistakes. The important thing is to listen to experts, seek public input, see what needs to be adjusted and sometimes shift course. In basketball, it is called a pivot. Being able to pivot is a strength, not a weakness. 

Our city is on the verge of making a big mistake by chopping down hundreds of mature trees in the name of stream restoration. It is not too late to admit a miscalculation and pivot.

We can all agree that the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is critical and must be protected. As a region, it is a top priority, and we are all committed to this cause. The city has made good progress in the past decade. One way to protect the watershed is to limit the amount of phosphorous that runs into the bay.

In an effort to protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, our city is planning to chop down hundreds of mature trees in Taylor Run, Strawberry Run and Lucky Run to “restore” the streams – but these streams are not the culprit. “Restore” is surrounded by quotation marks because in this case, it means that in order to “restore” these streams, the city must first destroy much of the landscape and tree canopy along the stream banks.

Recent soil testing from Taylor Run, analyzed by Brookside Laboratories, showed a negligible amount of phosphorous in the soil of the stream bank. Restoration of Taylor Run will therefore have a questionable impact at best on the watershed – but the restoration work will have a devastating impact on the habitat and tree canopy surrounding the stream. 

Stream restoration does not need to mean tree destruction. But in our city, at these locations, it apparently does. There are less destructive ways to preserve and protect the watershed.

If you haven’t seen these areas, a portion of the lush landscape is visible from the road. The part of Taylor Run proposed for restoration is located along King Street between Chinquapin Recreation Center and the First Baptist Church. Strawberry Run is off of Fort Williams Parkway near Duke Street. Lucky Run is on the West End. These are among the last truly forested areas left in our city.

This plan is short-sighted. The city will not only be harming the tree canopy, it will also be harming our residents’ quality of life and will not move the needle much for the sake of the bay.

In late 2018, the city staff briefed City Council in general about stream restoration. A recent FOIA showed that by this summer the city had actually planned these stream restoration projects in detail to completion. The plans include the removal of hundreds of mature trees – all of this without further civic engagement. This cannot be blamed on the virus, as there has been ongoing civic engagement for other issues.

So why weren’t multiple community-wide meetings held, along with extensive outreach to civic associations? There should have been opportunities for public input and the attendant media attention this process brings.

A community-wide meeting might belatedly be held this month. But at this point in the process, that meeting will be for staff to present the finished product to residents, not to seek their input. Are we a city with a government of the people, by the people and for the people?

I have often stated, “We are all the temporary stewards of this national treasure called Alexandria.”

This means not only our historic resources, but also our natural resources. We are all the temporary stewards of this treasured Earth. Climate change is an existential threat, and the issue of protecting our environment and tree canopy should be more important than ever.

In fact, we should be planting more trees. I am proud that we quintupled the tree planting across our city during my mayoral term. Better stewardship of our land and tree canopy is needed to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement goals.

As a city, we should strive to make decisions that are wise, that take a long view and that also have a moral compass.

This is a classic example of why our city government should always first reach out for public input and why transparency and accountability are key to our future as a community. We can and must do better as a city. We must be wiser. The generations to come are counting on us.

The writer was mayor of Alexandria from 2016 to 2018.