theleafletDECEMBER 2013

the gift of trees

CASEY TREES NEWS IN BRIEF

2 December 2013 | theleaflet

CASEY TREES NEWS

ADVOCACY EFFORTS LEAD TO ZONING MEASURE CHANGES | On Nov. 19, Maisie Hughes, Director of Planning & Design, and Tree

Advocates Delores Bushong and Laszlo Bockh

provided public testimony to the District Zoning

Commission to express concern about the Green Area

Ratio (GAR), a zoning measure intended to set new

standards for landscape and site design that mitigate

stormwater runoff, improve air quality and reduce

the urban heat island effect. The existing measure

failed to incentivize the planting of large canopy trees

based on the measures proposed credit system, which

valued trees based on their planted size instead of

size at maturity. Casey Trees testimony resulted in the

“Plantings” section of the credit system score card

being altered by the Office of Planning to reflect the

environmental and economic value of trees.

ARBORIST POSITION OPENS IN TREE PLANTING DEPARTMENT | Casey Trees is

looking for an Arborist to oversee the Community Tree Planting (CTP) program and procurement

activities for all Casey Trees planting initiatives. A

bachelor’s degree in arboriculture, horticulture, urban

Dr. Jessica Sanders, Jim Woodworth and Joseph Duszak explored

the condition of American elm cultivars — selected from the same

nursery and stock — planted in 2003 at two different D.C. locations,

where the trees experienced divergent success and health as a result

of differing management strategies. Their findings were recently published in the current issue of Cities and the Environment, a

e-journal dedicated to the ecology of urban communities.

In 2003, mainly Princeton elms were planted along Barracks Row, a

commercial corridor in Capitol Hill that was undergoing revitalization,

and the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue corridor adjacent to the White House. Ten years later, the Barracks Row elms

display greater amounts of structural defects and adverse health conditions when compared to their White House

counterparts. This difference was attributed to the delayed pruning program in place for Barracks Row, while the

White House elms benefited from rapid and aggressive pruning that improved tree structure and health. The elms

along Barracks Row, while facing threats, have still been key towards growing community investment and interest

in trees. Casey Trees looks ahead to finding the balance between realistic, yet proactive management strategies

and collaborations that help the urban forest thrive.

Casey Trees study gets published in online journal

forestry, landscape management or related field, and

three or more years of experience is required; Master’s

degree preferred.

LAST BRANCH OUT OF 2013 | Our monthly

happy hours will continue until the end of the year with

the newly added Dec. 10 date at Stoney’s, a Logan

Circle bar featuring great food and drinks. Volunteers,

friends, and staff will reflect on the successful year as

the leaves fall away, winter sets in and 2013 winds

down. The December event will be the last chance to

warm up with Casey Trees until Branch Out returns

on Feb. 11 Check in with Casey Trees Facebook and

Twitter accounts for events to come in 2014.

ZOO RECEIVES 30 NEW TREES | Originally

scheduled as the fall 2013 CTP season kickoff on

Oct. 5, but postponed due to the federal government

shutdown, 30 new trees were finally planted along a

service road at the Smithsonian National Zoological

Park on Dec. 2. Both Casey Trees and park staff

planted the trees, which are part of a habitat

restoration project adjacent to Rock Creek Park.

This was the third Casey Trees planting with the

Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

theleaflet | December 2013 3

RIVERSMART HOMES PROGRAM CONTINUES TO REACH GOALS | More than

340 native trees will have been planted through the

RiverSmart Homes program by the end of 2013.

Newly hired Arborist Marty Frye recently returned to

Casey Trees and is currently performing site visits with

homeowners to prepare for the planting of 350 trees

this spring.

STUDY IMPROVES DOCUMENTATION OF PRIVATE URBAN FOREST | Researchers

from the University of Tasmania observed two

Australian cities — Melbourne and Hobart — using

a broader forestry technique known as “size class

analysis” to evaluate change in the private urban forest. Although trees on public land are often well

documented, a large percentage of trees on private

land in cities do not share the same luxury. The size

class analysis observations determined that private

land is trending towards smaller and denser trees,

which do not provide as much benefit to the urban

forest. Higher levels of large shade tree protection on

private property and compensation through planting on

public land could help to improve the situation.

MULTI-SCALE APPROACH CRITICAL IN UNDERSTANDING URBAN RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES | Researchers from different

institutions looked to gain a greater understanding

of how urban residential expansion should be approached. Four city regions — Baltimore, Miami,

Boston, and Phoenix — were examined and surveyed

based on urban residential expansion’s effect on land

use, land cover and ecological changes. Using three

different scales — individual household decisions,

neighborhood-level decisions, and regional-scale

policy — the study found that management of single

parcels was linked to residents’ attitudes, values,

socioeconomic and lifestyle factors and constraints,

as well as the biophysical characteristics of the

site. Of note was the impact of social pressure as a

cause of landscape decisions among individuals and

neighborhoods.

IN THIS ISSUE...

FROM THE DESK: ENHANCING THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AT CASEY TREES ............................. 4

SPOTLIGHT: REMEMBERING LIFE THROUGH TREES .............................................................................. 5

QUANTIFYING DEVELOPMENT’S IMPACT ON D.C.’S TREE CANOPY..................................................... 7

HOW D.C.’S PARKLAND MEASURES UP ............................................................................................... 8-9

SCHOOL PLANTING PROGRAM ENDS YET ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON ............................. 10-11

ARBOR KIDS: ICE ART FOR TREES .......................................................................................................... 12

URBAN FORESTRY NEWS

4 December 2013 | theleaflet

From the Desk

MARK BUSCAINOEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Like many nonprofits, our power comes from

three main engines. First is our Board of Directors, which provides strategic direction

to guide our work. The second engine — our

dedicated staff — brings the smarts and

creativity to develop and test programs within

that strategic guidance to propel us forward to

achieve our mission and goals. The third engine,

however, is in many ways the most powerful —

our volunteers.

Even though we have grown our staff and

programs over the years, without our volunteers

we would be light years behind. Volunteers help us in so many ways. They register

participants for events, plant and care for trees

across the city, advocate for trees that are

threatened by development projects, communicate

to councilmembers and decision makers about the

importance of maintaining funding for city agencies that

maintain D.C.’s trees and green spaces, and many other

functions.

As I told staff at a recent meeting, we must focus on

enabling others to make the places where they live

greener and healthier, and that is largely done through

the benevolent work of our corps of more 1,700

volunteers from across the D.C. metro. But what of

the future? How do we continue to grow this corps of

engaged and motivated citizens to meet the challenges

and needs of tomorrow?

Volunteer Power 101That’s the question our Volunteer Coordinator, Katie

Blackman, asked a few months ago, and she is well on

her way to finding out. Over the next few months, Katie

will hold several focus sessions with our newly formed

volunteer committee to get their ideas on how we all can

be more impactful toward achieving our mission. I am

confident, given the group of dedicated people on this

committee, that the sessions will be fruitful and expose

a range of ideas that we have not yet thought about.

Achieving our mission by empowering others — creating

a platform for greater community engagement —

planting more trees and caring for them for generations

to come. Stay tuned to hear more about how you can

come out and help us take another step forward toward

restoring, enhancing protecting the tree canopy of the

nation’s capital. Email Katie with questions about our

new volunteer engagement initiatives or to share your

ideas!

Regards,

Mark Buscaino

Executive Director

theleaflet | December 2013 5

Spotlight

After loss, remembering a life through treesBy Mark DeSantis, Development Associate, Casey Trees | For some, a tree is nothing more than

just that — a tree.

But for others, a tree can represent something much

more meaningful. Trees can be powerful symbols of

growth, change and — perhaps most often — life.

This was the case in June of this year, when Casey

Trees was contacted by local resident Doug Johnson

and several of his close friends who were looking to

commemorate the life of Eric Thomas, a dear friend and

Casey Trees volunteer, who had recently passed away.

“We wanted a lasting and tangible memorial that

represented something important,” Johnson said.

Eric was a long-time Washingtonian who loved

gardening and frequently volunteered his time on

weekends to help Casey Trees at our Community Tree Planting events. A true asset to the Casey Trees family,

Eric lost his courageous battle with cancer in May.

Remembered for his fun-loving, vibrant and generous

spirit, Eric’s legacy continues to live on among his

friends and family. But Doug wanted to ensure this

legacy would also make an impact in the city that Eric

loved.

“We wanted a lasting and tangible memorial that

represented something important to Eric.”

To do so, Johnson and more than 100 of Eric’s closest

friends and family, joined together to start a Crowdrise

campaign in hopes of raising money to plant trees in

honor of Eric and his life. Working with Casey Trees,

they were able to raise a staggering $27,605 — all of

which has gone towards our planting programs within

Washington, D.C.

Thanks to this incredible outpouring

of generosity and love, Eric’s friends

and family will have planted more

than 100 trees across our city — an

amazing gift to our city that will last

for generations.

“Eric would have wanted something

that would be beneficial to the

community,” Johnson said. “We hope

that when friends and family see a

tree, they will think about Eric.”

At Casey Trees we too hope that

as you walk around and see our city’s trees — or even

if you come out to plant alongside us — you remember

this idea: Every tree has a story.

For Doug Johnson and the rest of Eric’s friends, a tree is

no longer just a tree – it’s far more than that now.

“A tree will become a beautiful symbol of the life of an

equally beautiful person.”

Casey Trees offers a variety of ways to commemorate a loved one or meaningful life event.

Eric Thomas was an avid gardener and volunteered on multiple

occasions at Casey Trees plantings.

YEAR-END

GIVING

123

Make checks payable to Casey Trees and mail to: 3030 12th St. NE, W DC 20017

PHONE

Become a Member or make a one-time donation. Gift Memberships also available.

Call 202.833.9125 for stock transfers or credit card donations.

BY DECEMBER 31, 2013

CASEYTREES.ORG/DONATE

MAIL

ONLINE

theleaflet | December 2013 7

Urban tree canopy changes with development

Technology & Research

By Dr. Jessica Sanders, Director of Technical Services and Research, Casey Trees & Dexter H. Locke, MESc, Doctoral Student, Clark University | What is the state bird of Washington,

D.C.? The construction crane. According to the District

Department of Transportation, at present there are more

than 60 cranes erected across the District.

While planting trees to increase canopy in the District is

important, how does current construction impact existing

tree canopy, if at all? The idea of construction and a

declining canopy led us to conceptualize a research

project with Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, a colleague from the

Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Vermont, to

better understand changes in D.C.’s canopy between

2006 and 2011 and the role construction played during

that period. Is large-scale development or the removal of

several individual trees spread across many smaller sites

causing much of the city’s canopy decline?

To answer these questions, we reviewed more than

100,000 approved building permits issued between

2006 and 2011 and categorized them according to their

likelihood of impacting trees. Permits indicative of larger

site disturbances were separated from those that didn’t

seem to impact trees. For example, a complete building

demolition where trees existed on the property was

placed in a “Probable” category while a toilet installation

was classified as “Unlikely” to threaten tree canopy.

After completing the analysis, we determined that during

our study period the city lost one-third to one-half of the

tree canopy on sites permitted for construction.

But what about other construction-related causes of

canopy loss? The fluidity in the permitting and building

process introduces lags, which may explain the results.

These lags and other factors suggest that canopy loss

happened on unpermitted sites, which may present an

opportunity for improving tree preservation mandates.

While widespread development is expected to continue,

our urban forest can flourish if we recommit ourselves

to planting, maintaining and protecting trees. Our work

sheds light on the role and growing need to accompany

new trees with advocacy initiatives to reach the city’s

tree canopy goal.

As a PhD student at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., Dexter H. Locke’s research goals look to further understand how the unique combination of messages, messengers and markets impacts participation in different urban forestry initiatives in major cities in the northeastern U.S.

Maples and sweetgums planted by Casey Trees on the grounds of

Spingarn High School were threatened by construction of the D.C. Streetcar

barn at the site. The trees were transplanted to another site in D.C.

8 December 2013 | theleaflet

How do D.C.’s parks measure up?By the Planning and Design Department, Casey Trees | Urban parks offer a variety of opportunities

for recreation and relaxation. A well-designed park

system means that urbanites can enjoy the trappings

of city life — access to people, jobs, culture, efficient

transportation, etc. — and daily interaction with nature.

Scientists have found that interaction with nature is

critically important for the health and well-being of

city residents. Research indicates that traveling long

distances to visit natural places does not provide the

same healthful benefits as having direct and walkable

access to green spaces. It is for these reasons that

parks — and the trees within them — are critically

important to city life.

PARKLAND OF D.C.

D.C.’s trees are predominantly found in its parks and

open space. Those land types account for approximately

9,300 acres, or 24 percent of the District’s land area.

Most of the city’s parks and open space are managed

by the federal government through the National Park

Service (NPS), which owns approximately 6,800 acres

of land that make up more than 350 properties. Ranging

from large parks — Rock Creek, Fort Dupont and

Anacostia Parks are some examples — to small traffic

circles and triangles, NPS is responsible for a large

portion of D.C.’s trees.

Outside of NPS, a smaller but important landholder is

the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR).

Planning & Design

DPR owns roughly 900 acres of parkland in the city and

facilitates quality urban recreation and programming of

area parks. DPR land constitutes 10 percent of parkland

and open space in the city, but it is the Department

of General Services that manages and maintains the

grounds (and trees) on these parks.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

Because parks are so important to communities, the

Trust for Public Land (TPL) developed the ParkScore®

index, a rating system that ranks cities based on their

quality of parks, according to three factors: acreage,

services and investment, and access.

ParkScore® index ranks Washington, D.C. sixth out of

WHO OWNS WHAT?

Around 9,300 acres — or 24 percent — of District

land is made up of parks or other open space areas.

NPS (74%)

DPR (10%)

Other (16%)

According to the Capital Space Plan, adopted by NCPC in 2010.

theleaflet | December 2013 9

Casey Trees recently received a grant from the District government that will fund tree plantings at DPR sites across the city.

D.C. Boundary

Water

Properties

Streets, Right-of-way

National Park Service

D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation

KEY LANDOWNER OVERVIEW OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

National MallAnacostia

Park

Oxon Run Park

Fort Dupont Park

Rock Creek Park

50 cities, meaning that there is an opportunity for our

city to improve. Although D.C. excels in its accessibility

to parkland as well as percentage of parkland to overall

land area, we fall short in the number of playgrounds

— currently 1.7 playgrounds per 10,000 residents. We

could also improve in providing larger parks, another

factor that impacted D.C.’s ParkScore® ranking.

For more information on how D.C.’s park

land is owned, managed, maintained, and

planned, see the City’s Capital Space Plan,

developed in partnership with the National

Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), NPS

and the D.C. government.

More information about TPL’s ParkScore® Index is

available online.

Rock Creek Park

10 December 2013 | theleaflet

Education

By Priscilla Plumb, Youth Programs Coordinator, Casey Trees | This season, Casey

Trees planted 58 trees at 10 schools in the District,

Maryland and Virginia, working with 215 students from

kindergarten to high school.

Oct. 16 — Grace Episcopal Day School (Md.)Forty elementary school students added 10 trees along

Connecticut Avenue NW to create a buffer between

the busy road and the school

grounds and for much-needed

shade for the parking lot and

front of school.

Oct. 23 — Imagine Southeast Public Charter SchoolWe planted five trees with 17

3rd- to 6th-grade students

at Imagine, including a grove

of river birch to help soak up

water near one of the building’s

roof downspouts.

Oct. 29 — Drew Freeman Middle School (Md.)Twenty-three middle school

students helped us plant two

shade trees and one evergreen

tree at the front of the school

and two fruit trees in the

school’s growing orchard.

Oct. 30 — E.L. Haynes Public Charter SchoolTwenty-five kindergartners and their parents planted six

shade trees at the school, enhancing the parking lot and

front entrance of the school. A fruit tree was also added

in front of their classroom window.

Oct. 30 — Mary McLeod Bethune Public Charter SchoolThirty 4th- to 8th-grade students planted six trees at the

school, including shade trees for their newly renovated

playground and fruit trees for their garden.

School planting program

theleaflet | December 2013 11

Nov. 6 — Jefferson Middle SchoolEight middle school students and Kid Power Inc. helped

us plant five new fruit and shade trees. The fruit tree

additions doubled their existing orchard!

Nov. 7 — Capital City Public Charter SchoolFive new native trees were planted at the front of the

school by 15 high school and middle school students.

The trees will help attract native pollinators to the

school’s many garden spaces.

Nov. 7 — Imagine Hope Public Charter SchoolSix new shade trees were planted by 24 elementary

school students along the school’s parking lot. A mix of

oaks and American elms will help reduce stormwater

runoff and provide shade for the cars and street.

Nov. 8 — IDEA Public Charter SchoolA group of 15 high school students planted five shade

trees on the campus to enhance the school’s playing

field and a new outdoor lunch space.

Nov. 13 — Drew Model Elementary School (Va.)Eighteen elementary school students helped plant five

native trees in the school’s newly renovated courtyard.

The space is an extension of the school library, which

looks out onto the courtyard.

12 December 2013 | theleaflet

Arbor Kids

Ice art for treesAs the weather gets colder, make some ice art to decorate your outdoor trees, provide some winter food to wildlife or

just to have some fun.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Go on a walk around your neighborhood and

collect some fun, interesting materials, such as

tree needles, colorful fallen leaves, feathers, twigs,

seeds, flowers, berries, etc.

• Fill a small bowl, tin or cup with at least an inch of

water.

• Place a piece of twine or string around the edge of

the container in the water. **Make sure the string

is long enough so there is some left outside the

container to use for hanging once frozen.

• Carefully arrange your collected

items in the water.

• Leave it outside or place in your

freezer over night.

• Once it is frozen carefully

remove it (you may need to run

warm water over it to release it

from the container) and hang

outside.

Have fun creating!