DC's "Tree Report Card" Issued by Casey Trees: Grade "Incomplete"

Photo by Quarterczar

The Casey Trees Foundation, which has as its core mission the protection and extension of DC's "green canopy," has come out with its fourth annual report card on the state of DC's trees.

Well, we can't pat our little sprouts on the bark and offer them a reward, because, according to Casey Trees, things have been left in an ambiguous state -- the grade is "incomplete."

Click here to see the full report:

Casey Trees Report Card for DC 2011

(By the way, this "report card" is not a simple table with categories followed by a letter grade for each; it's a 24-page, color-illustrated annual summary, with long narratives on a myriad of issues. Somebody at Casey Trees has been doing a lot of homework!)

To see the reports of the previous three years -- which are: "C" from 2010, B- from 2009, and B from 2008), click here: http://caseytrees.org/resources/treereportcard/. It does appear that DC's trees are going downhill! Time for some tree administration reform, perhaps?

Casey Trees Offers "First Friday" Programs on Street Trees

We are happy to spread the word about these free programs put on by the Casey Trees Foundation. The sessions below are offered on Friday, April 6 at the times indicated. The programs are free but you must rsvp to Casey Trees to attend. 

First Fridays combines presentations and tours on planning practices in the District on the first Friday of the month at Casey Trees Headquarters. Participants may attend individual or multiple events. Lunch will be provided.

Photo by Boksi

Session 1: Streetscape Design: How Trees in Low Impact Development are transforming DC’s Streets (12:00-1:00 PM)

Presenter: Maisie Hughes, Director of Planning & Design

The city of trees is becoming even greener. Streetscapes are being designed to grow massive trees that use clean polluted runoff to grow larger and endure the trials of urban street life. Learn tricks of the trade including stormwater management, expanded tree boxes, suspended pavement, and tree selection.

Session 2: Tour of LID at Casey Trees (1:00-1:30 PM)

Presenters: Maisie Hughes, Director of Planning & Design and Lisa Morris, Planning Associate

Take a look inside Casey Trees to learn how this Sustainable Sites Pilot manages stormwater with three green roofs, curbside bioretention planter, Silva cells and bioretention garden designed to grow large trees. Also take a peek at "Baby Boy," our 1,500 gallon cistern. Participants will learn about our other amenities including espalier apple trees and cool roofs.

Date: Friday, April 6, 2012
Times: Session 1 from 12:00pm - 1:00pm; Session 2 from 1:00pm -1:30pm
Address: 3030 12th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017

Getting there: 10 minute walk from the Brookland-CUA Metrorail Station on the Red Line. Also accessible directly by the H8 bus line. We will accommodate bicycles and there is ample on-street parking. (Click on the map.) 

If you'd like to attend this event please click here to RSVP online.

"Tree Talk Thursdays" Gives Online Answers to Questions about DC Trees

The Casey Trees Foundations is launching a once-a-month free online chat series called Tree Talk Thursdays, which will introduce the general public to urban forestry issues in DC, as well as answer tree questions from online participants. The forum will highlight issues affecting the District’s tree canopy and there will be a Q&A time, so that you can ask your tree questions of the experts and get answers you can put to immediate use.

The chat series, hosted on Casey Trees’ website, will air on the second Thursday of every month from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. EST.  The kick-off show on April 14 presents a discussion on how to properly select and plant trees. Elizabeth Philbrick, Manager of Frager’s Hardware Store’s Garden Center, will join Mike Galvin and Sara Turner, Casey Trees’ deputy director and urban forestry manager respectively, on the chat.

Individuals can participate in live sessions or replay past chats at Tree Talk Thursdays. Questions are accepted prior to and during the chat session. To submit a question in advance or suggest a topic, email treedc@caseytrees.org.

The spring/summer 2011 Tree Talk Thursdays schedule is:

April 14: Prepping to plant trees; Shopping and planting smart.

May 12: Tree report card. Grades are in. Reporting on how DC did.

June 9: Certified Arborists: Why you want one, where to find one.

July 14: Summer tree care: a tree survival guide.

August 11:  Trees of note. Discovering, appreciating notable trees in the DC area.

September 8: Weathering storms, minimizing damage to trees and property.

Paid Summer Internship at Casey Trees

Casey Trees is now accepting applications for its High School Summer Crew jobs program. Summer Crew members help water and care for DC's trees for eight weeks, from June 20 to August 12. Casey Trees, a DC-based nonprofit established in 2002, is committed to restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of the Nation's Capital.

Summer crew members are trained in proper tree care, then travel in teams to sites across DC to water, weed and mulch trees that have been in the ground for less than two years. When not caring for the District's trees, crew members participate in a series of career development activities, such as harnessed tree climbing at the National Arboretum, elm restoration for the National Mall and digital mapping at the National Zoo, and profile their experiences on the Casey Trees' blog Tree Speak.

Crew members work 35 hours, Monday to Friday, for $9 an hour.

Applicants must be 16 years or older, be enrolled in or just graduating high school, demonstrate an interest in the environment and be willing and able to work outdoors in all weather conditions with a variety of landscaping tools.

Since 2002, 94 high school students have served as Summer Crew members helping to care for Casey-planted trees in all eight Wards of the District.

More information regarding the Summer Crew program, including the online application, can be found here.