Dominion Energy to reconsider cutting down thousands of trees along the W & OD trail

ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — The Washington & Old Dominion (W & OD) Trail is a 45-mile paved multi-use trail that runs through Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties, built on the historic former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. It offers a scenic route for walking and biking.

7News learned, however, that Dominion Energy planned to cut down thousands of trees along a 33-mile stretch.

Tuesday afternoon, the energy company informed the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors it would stop cutting down trees and rethink how it addresses trees along the W & OD trail.

This all comes after 7News' I-Team Investigative Reporter Scott Taylor witnessed a Dominion sub-contractor cutting down dozens of trees in Falls Church along a four-mile stretch of the trail.

7News started asking questions weeks ago and now the downing of trees has stopped.

Dominion Energy told 7News earlier this month after cutting down 4 miles of trees along the trail "It's vitally important to protect the safety and reliability of the power grid."

NOVA Parks told the 7News I-Team on Tuesday it's against Dominion's plan and that the four-mile stretch of the trail was just the beginning.

"The big news is they are basically cutting all the trees on the trail from one edge of the property to the other and the news that we found out recently is they plan to do this not just for the four miles that have been cut currently but for all 33 miles of the [W & OD] trail that has power lines overhead," said Paul Gilbert, the Executive Director of NOVA Parks.

Dominion admitted it didn't hold a single neighborhood or community meeting before cutting down what will be thousands of trees. It did go house to house near this 4-mile stretch of the trail and knocked on front doors - including the door of Tom and Bonnie Jean Hammett.

The Hammetts said they had a beautiful view full of trees behind their house before Dominion started cutting them down.

"You feel like your family's a victim?" asked 7News I-Team Investigative Reporter Scott Taylor.

"I do. I feel like the whole neighborhood is a victim," said Tom Hammett.

7News reached out to Dominion Energy for a statement and received the following message:

The work we are doing along the W&OD trail is vitally important to protect the safety and reliability of the power grid. Providing safe and reliable electricity to our customers is our most important mission, and we take that obligation very seriously. It has been 20 years since we have done significant forestry maintenance along this transmission corridor. Since that time, the tree growth in the area has become an unacceptable risk to the safety and reliability of the grid. We have easements along the trail that allow us to maintain the trees and vegetation. Additionally, regulatory requirements for forestry maintenance have become more stringent. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in substantial fines and jeopardize the reliability of our customers’ electric service. We will not take that risk, and our customers should not either. We respect the public interest in the trail and the value it brings to the community. We have met with concerned residents and closely coordinated our work with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and local elected officials – and we will continue to do so. We have spoken with the Hammetts on numerous occasions. We have carefully listened to their concerns. We have explained in great detail all of the work that we are doing and the precautions that we are taking. We value their perspective and we are committed to continue working with Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to find a solution that supports the trail’s natural habitat and environment, while also preserving low-growing native species in the area.

Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Arlington County all approved resolutions on Tuesday telling Dominion Energy to stop cutting trees along the trail and return to the decade-old practice of selectively pruning any tree that poses a threat.

Read the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors resolution below:

Dominion Energy also emailed a second statement:

As a standard practice, Dominion Energy does not publicly share written agreements with localities and other organizations. The specific document you requested was a non-binding memorandum of understanding. It was a 20-year-old document that outlined intentions and goals for both parties at that time. It was specifically not a binding contract. There was a clause for either party to terminate the agreement at any time. Given our present-day context, and the essential importance of maintaining safe and reliable electric transmission, Dominion Energy terminated the MOU on 11/13/24. We have been working collaboratively with NOVA Parks, Fairfax County, the Town of Vienna, and state legislative offices throughout this process. As a regulated energy utility we are required to provide reliable service compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards. To meet these standards, we determine appropriate vegetation management practices to maintain system reliability. Failure to comply with these standards can result in strict penalties. Our vegetation management practices ensure that we will not fail to meet our reliability requirements. Neighborhood distribution lines are regulated differently and are not as strictly governed. If trees appear to be touching power lines, they are likely in contact with phone or cable lines rather than Dominion Energy’s electric lines. However, please let us know the locations where trees appear to be touching lines and we will share with our tree trimming team and address if appropriate.

It appears NOVA Parks, Fairfax, Loudoun County, and Arlington County are not in agreement with Dominion Energy's statement.