In Hampton Roads and across Virginia, we are blessed with an abundance of trees, despite civilization’s tendency to view them as expendable obstacles in the way of development. We shouldn’t take our trees for granted, because they usually do a lot more for us than we do for them.
Forestry experts say about two-thirds of Virginia has forest cover, including the urban forest: every tree in an urban area, lining streets or in parks or yards.
The commonwealth claims nearly 80 national champion big trees, according to reporting in May by the Virginia Mercury. Trees are measured, registered and entered in national competition for various species by the Virginia Big Tree Program at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. A champion big tree isn’t necessarily old, just one that’s enjoyed conditions that allowed it to grow to maximum potential.
If it’s old trees you’re interested in, the commonwealth has those in abundance, including bald cypress more than 1,000 years old.
If trees could talk, they would tell remarkable stories about our region. At Fort Monroe in Hampton stands the Algernourne Oak, estimated to be more than 500 years old, named for Fort Algernourne, built in 1609 where the James and York rivers meet the Chesapeake Bay. The oak was there when indigenous people were the land’s only occupants. It was there when the first ship arrived bringing African slaves to the English colonies in North America.
The Emancipation Oak at Hampton University is where former slaves and others in January 1863 first heard the Emancipation Proclamation. During the Civil War, Mary Smith Kelsey Peake, an educator and the daughter of a free Black woman and a prominent Englishman, taught Black people to read and write under that oak.
Trees that are neither record holders nor historic sites are important nonetheless. Maybe you enjoy trees that help shade your home, or nearby ones that offer a cooler space where you can exercise.
Even when you’re rushing along city streets and sidewalks, you probably benefit from that urban forest — trees, especially large, leafy ones, that provide extensive shade and mitigate the heat that radiates off exposed streets, parking lots and sidewalks.
You can feel the difference in areas with lots of pavement but few trees. When the thermometer registers 85 degrees, unshaded asphalt will be 110. As temperatures inch up, the heat radiating from the blacktop soars exponentially.
In the U.S., extreme heat causes more deaths than any other weather-related problem. As we develop more land, and build on smaller lots, the likelihood that big trees will be sacrificed increases.
When we cut the trees, we lost more than shade and shelter. Trees, as they trap rainfall and release it slowly, reduce the stormwater runoff, sediment and pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay.
The larger trees grow, the more they capture carbon and other pollution in the air, helping to reduce the climate change that contributes to flooding, storms and other problems.
If you own property, consider planting trees. Don’t rush to cut a tree that has a hollow or knot and lacks symmetry. That tree may have many years left to provide shade, help clean the water and air, and offer sanctuary to birds and other creatures.
All of us can let our officials know that we favor ordinances and laws that protect trees.
Trees within designated preservation areas, including the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act region, are protected by law. Any tree within 100 feet of a stream or river in much of Virginia’s eastern tidewater region is protected.
The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation that enables localities to regulate the preservation and removal of heritage, specimen, memorial and street trees, but few localities enforce stringent rules.
We have learned the hard way that trees are not as expendable as once thought. We should do a better job of protecting them, so that we can fully enjoy all that they have to offer.
