Leesburg Tree Commission readies Arbor Day planting and 1,500-tree giveaway at Flower & Garden Festival

The Leesburg Tree Commission finalized event logistics at its April 22 meeting for a series of spring events that include an Arbor Day planting, a town tree giveaway and participation in the Flower & Garden Festival.

Commissioners said the town will hand out hundreds of trees at the Flower & Garden Festival on May 3; a commission member said the event previously distributed 1,500 trees in a recent year. The commission discussed delivery and staging plans: larger five-gallon trees and boxed saplings will be staged at the town's Liberty lot before the event and volunteers planned early-morning setup (members suggested staging and vehicle access beginning about 4:45 a.m. during street-closure setup). Volunteers also planned a schedule of shifts for Friday setup, Saturday event coverage and Sunday tear-down.

The commission confirmed an Arbor Day planting at Heritage High School: a five-gallon redbud will be planted in front of the school and commissioners coordinated delivery, hole-digging and school coordination. The mayor is expected to read a proclamation at the festival event; commissioners discussed running the Arbor Day planting slightly earlier in the program if the mayor is delayed.

Staff gave operational updates: the town's annual maintenance contract for trees and shrubs was rebid and staff said they did not receive credible bids within budget; staff will seek an interim contract to carry work through spring while rebidding. Staff also reported that Dominion Energy's large-scale vegetation work in nearby jurisdictions (including parts of Loudoun and Fairfax) has been placed on hold and that the town and county expect to discuss pruning limits and coordination with the utility.

Commissioners and staff reviewed practical event details: how larger root-balled stock would be kept moist, where trees would be staged during street closure, who would pick up boxes from the storage unit and how volunteers would distribute handouts and QR-code links to the town's Treesburg initiative map. Volunteers identified missing supplies (signage and easel) and agreed to consolidate and transport remaining posters, advertising materials and leftover "swag" to the booth.

The commission also discussed the Treesburg initiative, a mapping effort to track trees planted by residents. Staff said past uptake of voluntary mapping has been limited and that event volunteers will collect addresses and basic planting details from residents who accept trees, with the option to enter data into the town's map later.

Next steps for operations: delivery and staging at the Liberty lot the day before the festival, early setup on May 3, volunteer staffing across shifts during the festival, and follow-up collection of planting records for the Treesburg initiative.