UVA Lawn Tree Framework Plan
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Status: Completed 2020
Awards: 2020 VA ASLA Merit Award
For generations of students, the Lawn at the University of Virginia has not only been the symbolic center of campus but a place for learning and discourse, celebration and ceremony. Integral to the physical enjoyment of the Lawn as a public space are the canopy trees. Originally planted in 1827, ten years after the buildings were constructed, the tree plantings have evolved over the years from a single species allee to a mixed species, loosely organized double allee. The trees have had to adapt to increases in student populations and pedestrian traffic, expanding University lawn events, and scores of environmental pressures.
The University commissioned an update to their existing 100 Year Tree Plan in response to the arrival of the emerald ash borer, which poses a significant threat to the current Lawn canopy. Wolf Josey was asked to provide a phased plan to address current and future threats to all Lawn trees that would ensure the tree canopy is sustained for the next 100 years and beyond. The resulting 100 Year Lawn Tree Plan explores the history of tree plantings on the Lawn, provides a current inventory and health assessment of each tree, and recommends future, highly resilient tree species that meet the University’s aesthetic and maintenance requirements. The Plan concludes with a 1 - 50 year implementation strategy that considers the impact of ash removal on the overall tree canopy and the changing character of the Lawn as new tree species are planted to among the existing trees and adjacent architecture.