Welcome

Casey Trees is a Washington, D.C. - based nonprofit committed to restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of our nation’s capital. We pursue our mission through community action, education and research.

Casey Trees’ Tree Report Card measures the quantity and condition of D.C.’s trees and the collective efforts of all groups and individuals working to achieve the District’s 40 percent tree canopy goal. It is based on data collected from both public and private sources, including the District and Federal Governments, universities, developers, nonprofits and others.

Summary

Executive Summary

This reporting year has seen continued progress in D.C.’s 20-year effort to improve the abundance and health of its trees. The overall grade of an A means that investments in tree planting, care and protection remain strong.

Despite the progress, a growing threat – noted in prior report cards – persists: an increasingly large portion of D.C.’s land is covered by concrete and asphalt. With a growing population and the need for more housing, this trend will only continue. More hard surfaces means more stormwater runoff, increased pollution and related impacts to the city’s already compromised streams and rivers.

It is important to recognize that over 41 percent of the District’s land is covered by impervious surfaces, which exceeds the city’s canopy cover of 38 percent. Think about that – our City of Trees has more roads, buildings and parking lots than trees – and that should concern us all.

Fortunately, balancing the need for housing to accommodate D.C.’s growing population with the city’s goals for a green future is possible. With adequate planning, new design resources and creativity, tree canopy post-development can be higher than it was pre-development.

Perhaps most important, one thing is very clear: D.C. residents – whether they have lived in the City for three years or three generations – love their trees and parks. And at Casey Trees, we are committed to ensuring that both are preserved for the very long term.

Thanks as always for your support!

Spotlight: Save Our Soil

Spotlight: Save Our Soil

To stem the loss of green space, Casey Trees is introducing the new Save Our Soil program. This innovative approach is revolutionizing the way we think about present and future green spaces in the District. Through conservation easements we will be able to ensure green space access now and for generations to come. Once protected by an easement, the land remains undeveloped to support mature trees and other natural amenities, while also providing a green respite for the neighborhoods where the easements are located.

“One of the best things we can do to preserve tree canopy is to preserve soil.” - Mark Buscaino, Executive Director

Vacant to Vibrant

The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Vacant to Vibrant program repurposes D.C.-owned vacant lots throughout the city. Over the past year, lands that the city has not been able to develop due to their size, location or other reasons, are being converted to perpetual green spaces through Casey Trees’ Save Our Soil program.

One of the first lots preserved through this program is located in the Deanwood neighborhood on Sheriff Road NE. We saved over 8,000 square feet of green space with magnolia, dogwood and weeping willow trees, reintroducing a lush green oasis for all community members to enjoy. In time, this space can accommodate even more trees to help us inch closer to the District’s 40 percent tree canopy goal.

Challenges of Development

With cranes and construction a common sight in the District, it’s no secret that D.C. is developing at a rapid pace. New buildings speak to D.C.’s growing population, which is expected to reach one million by 2045. Because of this, Mayor Bowser has already set a goal to build 36,000 residential housing units by 2025. As additional housing is built to accommodate new and current residents, it also means that impervious surfaces like buildings and pavement are replacing our city’s green spaces. This creates massive challenges for managing stormwater and the urban heat island, areas that are more than 20 degrees warmer because of impervious surfaces. It also decreases the plantable space we count on to grow tree canopy, and without a growing tree canopy, D.C. loses the vibrancy that makes it such an attractive place to live and work. We must act now to preserve healthy soil, so we can plan for future residents, and for future trees.

Washington, D.C. is our home, and our trees provide more than an environmental value, they inspire a sense of place and belonging within our community. From our parks to our shorelines, trees filter our water, clean our air, protect our ecosystem and buffer the negative effects of climate change.

Metrics Explained

   

The Tree Report Card rates Washington D.C.’s urban forest based on four metrics: Tree Coverage, Tree Health, Tree Planting and Tree Protection. Each metric is assigned a numeric score and grade. An overall grade is then determined by averaging the individual metrics.

   
   

Tree Coverage

The District’s current canopy coverage is 38 percent resulting in an A grade. This reflects a two percent increase from 2015.

Tree Health

Every five years, Casey Trees collects data from 201 sample sites across the District. Results from the 2015 survey did not show any significant difference from the 2010, where 83 percent of D.C.’s 2.4 million trees were shown to be in good to excellent condition, resulting in a B- grade.

Tree Planting

In the past decade, tree planting on both public and private lands has significantly increased through expanded partnerships.

For the city to achieve its 40 percent canopy goal by 2032, at least 10,648 trees must be planted each year for the next 14 years. In 2018, 15,529 trees were collectively planted throughout D.C. This vastly surpasses the target and is the highest planting number to date, resulting in an A+ grade.

Tree Protection

The Tree Protection metric assesses the effectiveness of the city’s two landmark tree protection laws: the Urban Forest Preservation Act of 2002, and its successor – the Tree Canopy Protection Amendment Act of 2016.

The most significant modification in the 2016 Act was the protection of “Heritage Trees,” those 100 inches in circumference and greater. This image depicts the result of the legislation, relocating a large oak tree to accommodate a new development. In the past this tree would have been reduced to logs and mulch, but now it will continue to mature and thrive through the success of this legislative advancement.

In judging the success of the city’s efforts to protect trees and replace Special Trees that are lost, we look at three sub-metrics identified and described here:

Are the fees and fines levied keeping pace with inflation?
sing the Consumer Price Index, we can see that the present-day value of the fees and fines for the removal of Special Trees have not significantly changed since the law’s passing in May 2016. Therefore, we can award this sub-metric an A grade.

Are the replacement trees surviving?
Approximately 10 replacement trees are planted for every Special Tree removed. When we look at this planting rate in conjunction with data generated by continually monitoring the trees we plant, we conclude that approximately 2 out of every 10 replacement trees survive to attain Special Tree status. Therefore, replacement trees are indeed filling the void left from the Special Trees that were removed, and we award this sub-metric an A.

Are fees and fines being used to plant replacement trees?
Per both the Urban Forest Preservation Act of 2002 and the TCPAA, money from the Tree Fund is required to be used to plant trees. Therefore, based on our review of the financial records, the fees and fines are being used to plant replacement trees and we can award this sub-metric an A+.

Averaging these three sub-metrics results in an A grade for Tree Protection.

Recommendations

While we celebrate and continue to see significant progress, much more remains to be done. We encourage Mayor Bowser to:

1

Adopt a city-wide impervious surface maximum percentage to protect open spaces from being developed and decrease the urban heat island.

2

Advocate for Casey Trees’ Save Our Soil campaign to the D.C. Council, establishing a conservation easement in a park in each ward.

3

Convene an expert panel to create a tree canopy goal for all plantable space in D.C. in order to help reach an overall tree canopy of 40 percent by 2032.

Acknowledgements

Casey Trees would like to thank the following partners making trees a priority in the city by planting, caring and protecting trees in the District as well as sharing their data to track the collective efforts:

We would like to thank Mayor Bowser and her team for making trees a priority in the District, specifically:

We would also like to thank our partners at:

D.C. Office of Planning

D.C. Office of Zoning

Department of Energy and the Environment

Department of Parks and Recreation

Department of Transportation: Urban Forestry Division

District Department of General Services

Also our federal partners at:

General Services Administration

National Park Service

Anacostia Coordinating Council

Anacostia Waterfront Trust

Anacostia Watershed Society

The Catholic University of America

D.C. Environmental Network

Groundwater Anacostia

National Capital Planning Commission

The Nature Conservancy

Sustainable D.C. Partners

Trees for Capitol Hill

Trees for Georgetown

Washington Parks and People

American University

Gallaudet University

Georgetown University

George Washington University

Howard University

RainCredits

University of D.C.

Appendix

 

Tree Coverage is a measure of a tree’s crown when viewed from above and is the way we track the progress that the District makes towards its 40 percent tree canopy by 2032 goal. The tree crown or canopy produces most of the trees overall benefits.

Tree Health encompasses trees condition, species, size and type. This metric helps us understand how resilient the District’s trees are in terms of potential threats due to pests and diseases. It can also predict the longevity and future composition of D.C.’s trees.

Tree Planting is a count of annual tree planting numbers compared to the total number of trees that must be planted per year to achieve the city’s 40 percent canopy goal by 2032.

Tree Protection assesses the impact of the Urban Forestry Preservation Act of 2002, and the Tree Canopy Protection Amendment Act of 2016. These laws are intended to slow the removal of healthy trees 44 - 100 inches in circumference and ensure their replacement when they are cut down. Additionally, they prohibit the removal of trees over 100 inches in circumference unless granted special approval by the Mayor.