As a resident of the Potomac Hills community, I highly value our beautiful trees and I believe that all reasonable efforts should be made to preserve our tree canopy. It has taken nature many decades to provide us with our tree canopy but it takes a builder only a few hours to destroy it.

I am greatly disturbed by the increase in infill development projects where houses are razed and most (if not all) of the trees are removed from a property, particularly where it is clear that some of the trees are being removed merely for the convenience of the builder and could be saved.

I agree with my neighbors in the nearby neighborhoods of Chesterbrook Woods, Franklin Park, and El Nido that Fairfax County is not enforcing applicable tree conservation ordinances. The absence of enforcement is resulting in a substantial and unnecessary loss of our historic tree canopy.

I support the efforts of these and other local homeowners associations to ensure that all applicable tree conservation ordinances are fully enforced by the County and to work for legislation giving the County greater authority to protect our tree canopy.