INSIDE BCA
Brambleton's Beloved Trees Rick Stone, PCAM, LSM - General Manager
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ree management throughout Brambleton’s 2,500 acres requires a wide range of knowledge and resources. Brambleton’s suburban forest consists of preexisting woodlands, canopy replacement trees, and aesthetically pleasing native and nonnative trees planted within landscape beds alongside shrubs, perennials, and annuals. These various configurations make up Brambleton’s landscape but
require a variety of management and maintenance approaches. Over the years, we have seen a variety of diseases and challenges that have negatively impacted our landscape. We have seen the community’s Knockout roses decline and die from rose rosette disease, which is a nasty, incurable virus. Brambleton’s ash trees have been devastated by the emerald ash borer. As the community ages, we are experiencing an increase in overcrowding among planted trees, damaged and downed trees due to storms, and the delayed dying of preexisting trees from construction-related damage. Emerald Ash Borer
Contractor felling a storm-damaged tree in Legacy Park
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Over the past five years, Brambleton has lost over 400 ash trees as a result of the emerald ash borer. The ash borer has devastated the entire east coast, due to both the loss of these trees and the financial impact of removing and replacing them. Brambleton has spent over $100,000 over the past several years removing affected trees and installing
Brambleton Community Association Magazine
Spring 2020
replacements. This loss has also impacted numerous residents with ash trees on their property. Overcrowding Loudoun County has a canopy coverage replacement calculation that requires developers to replant trees that were cleared due to construction activity. While this program has good intentions, the reality is that it requires developers to overplant the common areas, which communities must address as the trees grow. This overcrowding requires homeowners associations and property owners to selectively remove or sacrifice trees for the health of the adjacent trees. As some of Brambleton’s replanted trees have been growing for almost 20 years, the removal of live and seemingly healthy trees to address overcrowding is becoming a reality. Storm Damage Our community is subjected to soilsaturating rains, high winds, heavy snows, lightning, and other weather