Carol Wolter volunteered 188 hours in 2024 and has been dedicated to environmental restoration and community service for the past four years. As Chair of the McLean Trees Foundation, a position she assumed three years ago, Carol has spearheaded impactful initiatives to remove invasive species and restore native tree populations in McLean parks including Lewinsville, McLean Central, and Churchill Road.
Her leadership has driven a multi-year restoration effort involving over 1,000 volunteer hours just in 2024. In 2023, major reforestation projects were completed in Churchill Road and Lewinsville Parks. In 2024, Carol and her volunteers installed 22 anti-deer enclosures, each containing 15 native tree and shrub saplings, alongside a new meadow and 25 larger trees at Lewinsville Park. Additional areas are being cleared and replanted this year. Over the past two years, the Foundation has planted more than 150 native trees ranging from 7 to 8 feet tall across parks, schools, and private properties.
Under Carol’s guidance, the McLean Trees Foundation has grown its board and volunteer base, multiplying the community impact. She regularly mobilizes an average of 15 volunteers every weekend and coordinates with corporate groups of up to 40 people. Carol maintains a strong partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority and its Internal Management Area (IMA), which supports her work and often refers corporate volunteers. Twice a month, she leads the Operation Stream Shield program, engaging individuals experiencing homelessness in invasive species removal and reforestation work—a group that frequently expresses gratitude for her support.
Carol’s efforts benefit the entire McLean community, local wildlife, and biodiversity. She collaborates with Eagle Scouts, schoolchildren, and corporate volunteers to foster environmental stewardship. Additionally, she organizes webinars featuring experts in arboriculture and urban forest conservation, providing valuable education to a broad volunteer community.
Through educating new volunteers about the importance of native plants and the dangers of invasives, Carol aims to foster lasting community awareness and health benefits. While the full impact of her work will be seen as the native canopy grows over the coming years, the parks already show remarkable improvement—cleared of invasive “graffiti,” with birds returning and a renewed sense of care and optimism throughout the community.
“I am very happy to recognize Carol Wolter for her dedication and tireless commitment to improving McLean’s parks through the removal of invasive plants and reforestation efforts. Carol has demonstrated leadership and innovation in tackling this challenge and by motivating volunteers to work together to improve our environment. Thank you, Carol, for dedicating your time and energy to the benefit of our ecosystem and community!”
– Supervisor James N. Bierman, Jr.