On Saturday, March 21, members of Boy Scout Troop 218, the Northern Neck Master Gardeners, and Friends of the Rappahannock joined Stratford Hall staff in planting its first saplings as part of the “250 for 250: Improving the Northern Neck’s tree canopy for the Semiquincentennial” project. The new trees are located along the southwestern border of the preserve, near Stratford Hall Road and the entrance gate.

In October 2025, the Northern Neck Planning District Commission (NNPDC) was awarded funding from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) for a tree-planting project in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. Northern Neck sites include Stratford Hall, Menokin, the Fones Cliffs Unit of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Longwood University’s Baliles Center for Environmental Education, and the new Lancaster County High School.

Stratford Hall partnered with the Northern Neck 250 Commission and the NNPDC on the grant application. The project is funded by the VDOF’s Virginia Trees for Clean Water program and is being implemented in partnership with the Friends of the Rappahannock, a watershed-protection organization based in Fredericksburg.