November Kicks Off Tree Planting Season in the City of Virginia Beach

Did you know the City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation (VBPR) Parks and Landscape Services team is responsible for maintaining all trees on City property? This includes tree at all City schools, along medians of the roads you drive on each day, in parks, on City property including police and fire facilities and the municipal center. During FY 2022-2023, VPBR planted 743 trees and pruned more than 3,400 trees across the city.

VBPR is excited to announce that the 2023-2024 tree planting season has begun in Virginia Beach thanks to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation & Wetlands Watch awarding a $4,845 Coastal Resilience and Tree Fund grant to VBPR. With the grant funds, 17 native tree species were planted in Oceana West Gardens neighborhood. All trees come with a one-year warranty and will be maintained by Parks and Recreation Landscape Services.

How will these trees benefit the community?

• Trees planted for this project will contribute to reducing stormwater runoff, neighborhood flooding, purify the air we breathe by absorbing pollutants and reduce particulate pollution from the major roadways.
• The trees will provide a sound barrier for the neighborhood, provide habitat for birds and other wildlife and provide shade for recreation.
• The trees will provide a park improvement and neighborhood appeal to create a welcoming environment for the community to enjoy.
• As these trees are being planted in proximity to an area of the city which is a heat island, they will contribute to cooling the neighborhood and reducing heat generated by buildings and paved surfaces.
• Contribute to the VBPR Urban Forest Management Plan tree canopy goal.

Many trees planted in Virginia Beach are staples within the community. VBPR hosts an annual Beautree contest featuring some of the most beautiful trees in region. The 2023 winner was the Water Tupelo, Nyssa aquatica, found in Stumpy Lake. This tree can be found in swamps all over the Southeast. Tupelo is Native American in origin, deriving from the Muscogee language, combining the words 'ito' (tree) and 'opilwa' (swamp).

In 2014, VBPR developed the Urban Forest Management Plan to identify immediate and long-term priority actions to preserve, expand, and diversify a sustainable urban forest for Virginia Beach. The vision of this plan is to achieve a 45% tree canopy by 2045. As of 2018, the city was at 40.3% canopy, showing a net loss of 1.34% from 2012.

VBPR invites the public to share feedback online or attend the remaining public input meeting on the proposed Urban Forest Management Plan to shape the future of the City's forestation program. The meeting will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Princess Anne Rec Center.