Saving Loudoun’s Historic Trees

 Story by Aprille Hunter

As a tree service company, it is a rare and special privilege to work on older trees, and we were so excited to have the opportunity with Oatlands Historic House & Gardens. On September 24, 2020, Regan Reedy, Manager of Archives & Operations, reached out to us looking for a professional arborist to assess Oatlands’ historic trees and recommend a plan of action to care for them.

The following Monday, Jim Donegan went out to meet her and the CEO, Caleb Schutz. It was immediately clear that Oatlands was lacking adequate funds to properly care for all of their trees. Then Jim had an idea, what if he could create a Tree Inventory and customize a 6-Year Plan for the estate. 

Our goal at Oatlands was to make a tree inventory of the mature and serviceable trees to assess their health and develop a plan of action to bring them back to excellent condition. In October and November of last year, 313 trees were inventoried for Oatlands, 17 of which were classified as historic and estimated to be over 150 years old. A lot of the trees were in need of care that Oatlands simply didn’t have the funds for. Donegan’s Tree Service donated their time and put together the Tree Inventory and 6-Year Plan for free. The first phase of the recommended maintenance included the removal of 4 hazardous trees and trimming almost 100 trees lining the main entrance to the grounds. 

Donegan’s Tree Service can create a Tree Inventory and customized 3-5 Year Plan for estate owners in Loudoun County, Marshall, and the Plains with 50 or more serviceable trees. We look out for hazards and stay on top of regular maintenance by breaking it up into seasonal or yearly phases with a budget laid out. We can be flexible to meet your needs and help you prioritize work with the guidance of an expert in the field. All of our inventories are conducted by an ISA Certified Arborist and an assistant using state-of-the-art GIS mapping software. For the month of March we are running a 30% discount on our rates, so give us a call to find out more and set up a free consultation!