Our Mission: To enhance the quality of life through the Stewardship of our Commonwealth’s urban and community trees.

Trees Virginia Board Members at the 2025 Annual Board Retreat held at the Ivy Creek Natural Area.

Photo taken by Delaney Long.

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Photo taken by Delaney Long

Elements of Tree Preservation

"The best means to ensure tree preservation success is involving arborists early in the design stage." 

Keith Pitchford, member of the Trees Virginia Board, has begun writing a "Tree Preservation Series." In this series, Keith draws from his experience as a consulting arborist for three decades, as well as time spent volunteering in many ways involving forestry and trees. In the upcoming newsletters, we will feature pieces from his series that highlight important elements of tree preservation.

Read "Elements of Tree Preservation:

Step 1- Getting a Seat at the Table."

The Common Hackberry Tree:

A Worthy Native Tree for Your Landscape

By: Heidi James, Trees Virginia Board Member

Photo of hackberry: Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org

With the surging interest in planting native species these days, it is a good time to look at the somewhat forgotten Hackberry tree, Celtis occidentalis. Native to Virginia, the hackberry has many attributes that make it worthy of consideration. It is an important piece of the biodiversity puzzle, serving as the host plant for dozens of species of butterflies, including the Question Mark, the American Snout and the Hackberry Emperor. It bears small, berry-like edible drupes in the fall (drupes are different from berries in that they have a single hard pit vs small seeds like a berry). The drupes are a great boon to native and migrating birds each fall and to other native wildlife when they fall to the ground. People can eat the drupes right off the tree and they are packed with vitamins and minerals.

The hackberry is a medium-sized tree reaching 50-70 feet tall and lives to 150-200 years.

The leaves are pointed and serrated and the bark is warty and furrowed. It is great at controlling erosion and thrives in moist soil and full to part sun, but it does well in most conditions. It’s a low-maintenance tree, however any low-growing horizontal branches should be removed as the tree grows. It is generally free of diseases, except that it can develop “witches’ broom,” which is a thick cluster of twigs and leaves. These do not harm the tree and can be pruned out if found to be objectionable. Ask your local nursery if they carry this tree. Give it a try and enjoy the wildlife you will be supporting!

Arbor Day Spotlight

Arbor Day celebrations have been taking place all over Virginia this Spring. We are proud of Virginia's many communities and individuals that celebrate the importance of trees! University of Mary Washington, a Tree Campus USA, had a unique celebration this year. Holly Chichester-Morby, the university's arborist explains below:

"UMW's 2025 Arbor Day celebration featured a unique alumni tree trifecta! A Ginkgo 'Princeton Sentry' was planted next to Willard Hall, one of the original dorms on campus. The tree holds a special significance as it was donated by the granddaughter of a remarkable lineage of women. These women not only attended and graduated from the former Mary Washington College but also resided in the same dormitory, in the very same room! A truly remarkable and heartwarming connection that adds depth to the campus's history. Happy Arbor Day!"

Note: Any photo/image without a credit source listed is sourced from Constant Contact stock images.