The Leaflet — January 2011

Casey Trees News

leaflet

the

January 2011

In this issue...

2 American Elm Restoration

Tree care tips from the Winter Almanac.

3 Letter from the Executive Director 4 3030 rain garden gets started 5 Tree care plan ends in success

No trees died in LGBT group’s memorial grove.

6 Big season for RiverSmart Homes

And the Community Tree Planting program, too.

7 Kids Corner

The Leaflet In addition to a new design, The Leaflet will be distributed monthly.

Imaging data will help canopy studies

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sing data from satellites and airplanes, the Geographic Resources department at Casey Trees has developed detailed maps and images that will be useful for future tree canopy studies.

The images are based on elevational data derived from an airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system.

GIS Specialist Michael Potts produced 3D tree maps by “draping”

A screenshot of Captiol Hill and 8th Street SE, where Casey Trees planted more than 50 elms in 2003. LIDAR data provided by DC GIS have been used to determine tree heights.

high resolution satellite imagery over a 3D digital surface model (DSM) of particular neighborhoods. The DSM includes everything on the ground, including trees, buildings and roads.

This type of 3D modeling is useful for tree studies because it offers a striking and effective means of visually inspecting canopy. This is useful for planning purposes because it is possible to interactively determine which areas have dense tree canopy and which are sparser. Additionally, LIDAR can identify individual trees and determine their heights, as well as general canopy volumes.

The data are used to measure trees added to the Trees of Note program, which enables citizens to nominate trees with significant value in the District to the Casey Trees Map. As updated LIDAR data become available in the future, Casey Trees will be able to more thoroughly assess our operations in relation to the Urban Tree Canopy Goal.

On the first Tuesday of every month you can read the latest news about the people and programs that bring to life Casey Trees’ mission.

Tree Report Card If you are associated with an organization that planted trees in the District in 2010, please contact Mike Galvin, Deputy Director (mgalvin@caseytrees.org or 202.349.1909) with the details of the planting so we can include your efforts in the annual Tree Report Card tree planting tally.

Tree Recycling Tip You have until Jan. 9 to put your holiday trees and wreaths in the tree box space in front of your house. Remove all decorations and do not place the tree in a plastic or cloth bag. For further information, contact the District Dept. of Public Works.

January designated as American Elm Restoration Awareness Month

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ince 2003, Casey Trees has planted and cared for more than 1,750 American elm trees in the District as part of its American Elm Restoration (AER) program. This January, we will add 100 Valley Forge American elms to that total and launch an initiative to inform the public about the history, care of and threats to the American elm.

American elms at the National Mall.

The inaugural American Elm Restoration Awareness Month will bring attention to the plight of the American elm, formerly a D.C. signature tree, and efforts underway to restore it to the City’s streetscape.

Casey Trees has spearheaded the AER program, planting diseasetolerant cultivars in historic and designated American elm corridors across the District. Each winter, the Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) identifies locations for new elms; Casey Trees purchases and plants the trees with their own funds. High school students, members of Casey Trees’ Summer Crew, water and weed the trees in the summer for the first two years they are in the ground.

The elm plantings began in late

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ecember 21 was the first day of winter, and the season’s cold weather will hang around until March.

With help from Casey Trees’ Winter Almanac, you can better prepare your trees for spring.

December in Ward 5 along the 1100 block of Bladensburg Road.

Plantings will continue in Wards 1, 3 and 6 throughout January. Casey Trees will use neighborhood listservs and door hangers to notify residents whose homes are adjacent to a UFA-selected planting site when the planting will occur and how to care for the tree.

Accompanying the planting of elms is a revamped American Elm Restoration webpage and a month-long feature series on Casey Trees’ blog, Tree Speak. Topics to be covered include an introduction to American elms, threats to elm health, types of elm cultivars and tree care tips for elms.

Additionally, Casey Trees has coordinated two elm pruning classes with Barry Stahl, horticulturist and nursery manager with the U.S. National Park Service, for its volunteer Citizen Forester program.

More information on the American Elm Restoration program, including the planting schedules and the location of designated American elm corridors, can be found on our website.

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Winter Almanac offers tree care tips for cold months

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Inspect for broken branches. This is especially important following snow or ice storms. Damaged branches should be pruned carefully. For more guidance, visit www.treesaregood.com.

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Water your trees, once or twice a month if temperatures stay above 40 degrees. Evergreens are especially vulnerable to drying out in winter. If the ground is frozen, do not water.

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Protect your trees. Do not allow heavy snow or ice to weigh down evergreen branches. Do not sweep leftover salt into tree boxes or storm drains. Sweep up and dispose of properly.

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Install deer damage guards, such as mesh fencing or tall tree guards, when appropriate.

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Assess trees that are three years old or more for structural pruning.

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Appreciate your trees. Trees reveal their structure in winter. Use this time to see the differences in cones produced by conifers, including cedars, pines, spruces and junipers.

January 2011 | theleaflet

How do we do what we do?

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have met many people who have paid Casey Trees and our wonderful staff the ultimate compliment – that we do a great job at maintaining focus on our mission: to restore, enhance and protect the tree canopy of the Nation’s Capital. The reason this is so important is that time and again organizations get caught in the difficult rut of what is known as “mission creep.”

Mark Buscaino Executive Director

Perhaps the biggest reason Casey Trees has been able to maintain its focus is because our staff is committed to it. When we review programs, we ask if objectives are

get from place to place? Definitely, but what else would the program achieve, short of pure numbers of trees watered, which would help us attain our mission? Many thoughts came from here – some of them were as follows: First, as much as we would like, we realize Casey Trees cannot water every tree that needs it. To water more than we do now, we need to enlist the help of others. In that regard, the Water By-Cycle program created a great deal of buzz that encouraged others to engage in the effort. And, interestingly enough, beyond the District’s borders, the Water By-Cycle model was replicated in several other cities, most notably in Portland, Oregon. There, folks upped the ante and started a “Planting by Cycle” program, which has helped that city increase its exposure and link to the community as well.

“As important as it is for us to stay on mission, it’s equally important to know Casey Trees cannot achieve its mission in a vacuum. To do it, we must also connect people to trees.”

For two years, Casey Trees’ innovative Water By-Cycle team has watered many District trees during the summer months.

being met. Whenever we consider starting something new, we ask if it will help us attain our mission, and, by extension, achieve the District’s goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy from 35 percent to 40 percent. These conversations are sometimes difficult because not everyone interprets a painting in the same way, so to speak.

A good example of this is our Water By-Cycle program, which launched two years ago. Watering trees, of course, is critical to our work, but, some asked, could we not water more trees if we used a truck to

theleaflet | January 2011

Second, trees we targeted to water through Water By-Cycle were often those located in areas where vehicles — mainly trucks with trailers — had difficulty accessing. Sometimes, we have found, as important as it is, watering trees is not as important as letting a disgruntled motorist drive unimpeded down a crowded city block!

Finally, we wanted to emphasize that tree-watering work, which is traditionally done with trucks, large heavy water tanks and a lot of gasoline to make it move, can be done in other ways which also can reduce our fossil fuel footprint. In the end, our discussions led us to

(Continued on page 4)

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successfully launch the now twoyear-old program.

Trees planted to anchor main rain garden

That is a detailed example of an individual program, but from a broader perspective, we stay focused on our mission by following seven steps: 1. Inventory the urban forest to know what we have.

2. Set a canopy goal(s) based on the inventory.

3. Engage programs/partnerships to reach the goal.

4. Report progress regularly and widely through the Tree Report Card.

5. Re-inventory to assess for changes.

6. Modify and develop new strategies and programs, such as Water By-Cycle, as needed.

7. Do it all over again — but keep the goal the same!

There are a lot of things that happen when executing this list of seven steps, but in general, that’s how we stay on mission and work to attain the District’s 40 percent Urban Tree Canopy Goal. I encourage you to join us in that work, perhaps by taking a ride with our Water By-Cycle teams, planting trees through our Community Tree Planting program or participating in a tree walk or educational seminar.

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he rain garden at Casey Trees’ new headquarters is beginning to come together.

Last month, our Tree Planting crew planted the first of two phases of trees, including river birch, baldcypress and tupelo.

The second planting phase will begin in the spring, when the crew will add fruit trees and other vegetation.

Interpretive signage will be installed to help visitors identify the trees in the garden.

I will end with one last thought. As important as it is for us to stay on mission, it’s equally important to know Casey Trees cannot achieve its mission in a vacuum. To do it, we must also connect people to trees — and we cannot do that without you.

As always, thank you for your support.

Regards,

Mark Buscaino Executive Director 4

January 2011 | theleaflet

Keeping Memories Alive

As part of their Community Tree Planting agreement, DC Front Runners watered and cared for their new trees for two years.

Juggling extreme heat and four-mile runs, the group’s members made sure more than just the trees survived.

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estled in the shadow of the Taft Bridge in Rock Creek Park, the DC Front Runners (DCFR) Memorial Grove stands in honor of the group’s deceased members.

DCFR, an LGBT running, walking and social club, planted the grove in 1988 to commemorate members who had passed away from AIDS. In 2008, volunteers added 10 trees, which can be found on the Casey Trees Map, through Casey Trees’ Community Tree Planting (CTP) program, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the initial planting. All of the trees survived and flourished, the first time in the history of the CTP program that no trees died during the two-year tree care period.

John Noran, a DCFR member and manager of the grove, attributed the trees’ zero mortality rate to the integration of tree maintenance into the group’s regular Saturday walk/run events. Noran checked the weather the week before and advertised group watering efforts in the weekly newsletter. Some members signed up in advance, but theleaflet | January 2011

During one of their walk/runs last November, members of DC Front Runners posed in front of the group’s Memorial Grove.

Photos courtesy of DC Front Runners.

people would often help water the trees during their walk or run.

“It was kind of a balancing act to keep the goodwill going and making sure the trees got watered.” Noran said.

By caring for the newly planted trees, DCFR members were able to rediscover the commemorative trees and reflect on the memories of their fellow members who have died.

“Our members have a sense of pride in keeping all 10 trees alive,” Noran said, “and they were made aware of the other trees in the grove.”

Above: DCFR organized a CTP event in 2008, commemorating the 20th anniversary of its Memorial Grove.

Below: Volunteers used Rock Creek as a main source of water during their care period.

Noran said the grove was something to rally behind, and taking part in the care duties made people feel as if they were participating in the continuation of the grove’s significance.

“The enthusiasm of the members had to do with the fact that members were rediscovering this piece of the organization’s history,” he said. “The pride in the continued existence and success of the grove was a key factor.”

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Productive CTP season ends on a high note

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asey Trees’ Community Tree Planting (CTP) program ended its fall 2010 season with a December 11 planting event on the Metropolitan Branch Trail in the Edgewood neighborhood.

Sponsored by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, with funds from The Coca-Cola Foundation, 16 volunteers and 31 Citizen Foresters planted 29 trees — including paperbark maple, saucer magnolia and golden raintree — along two stretches of the trail.

Starting with the first fall tree planting event in October 2010, Casey Trees staff, more than 800 volunteers and 150 Citizen Foresters planted more than 450 trees at 20 CTP events.

Other notable events took place at Tudor Place and Safe Shores in October and in Edgewood in November.

All newly planted trees — and those from past CTP seasons — can be found on the interactive online Casey Trees Map. Individuals can search

the map by tree species, event name or planting location.

Applications for the spring 2011 schedule are being processed and the schedule will be announced in late January. Applications for the fall 2011 schedule (Oct.-Dec.) will be accepted until June 15, 2011.

RiverSmart Homes takes root in 2010 with great numbers

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he RiverSmart Homes program (RSH) finished 2010 with a bang. Casey Trees, in partnership with the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), planted 660 trees on residential property.

Through the program, property owners can have a series of storm water controls, a rain barrel, rain garden, pervious pavers and trees installed at a nominal cost. By implementing such controls into the landscape, property owners can reduce their cooling costs and storm water fees, mitigate erosion and pollution of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and beautify their yards.

2010 was the program’s first year with five full-time staff. The majority of the trees planted — 65 percent — were shade trees, which have a large, 6

spreading canopy. Three ornamental trees — serviceberry, redbud, and sweetbay magnolia — comprised the other 35 percent.

Property owners are encouraged to plant shade trees because their larger canopy provides more surface to collect rain water. Nonetheless, a few ornamental trees are available to meet the challenging space requirements of small residential lots.

Sara Turner, an arborist at Casey Trees, consults with property owners and makes suggestions for the right tree for the right place.

“It’s very rewarding to ride my bike and travel through the district and be able to point out where we have made progress, planting trees in front and back yards,” Turner said.

Roughly 60 percent of the program’s trees were planted in Wards 3 and 4.

This winter, visibility of the program will be increased in Wards 7 and 8 through different outreach forums,

such as print, online and ANC meetings. There is also an opportunity to increase tree planting in these wards through the Watts and Pope Branch stream restoration projects.

More than 500 people signed up for the RSH program in 2010. In the new year, the program will continue to branch out and be successful. There are already 120 trees scheduled to be planted in the spring, with 200 people signed up to have trees planted.

New Staff Member

Shawn Walker Urban Forestry Instructor

swalker@caseytrees.org 202.828.4132

Shawn joins Casey Trees after more than two years as an arborist with the District’s Urban Forestry Administration. He is excited to coordinate Casey Trees’ educational activities and share his insights with the public.

January 2011 | theleaflet

Kids Corner

Visit Casey Trees’ brand new Arbor Kids page online for more quizzes, games and downloadable activities!

Winter Tree Quiz

1. In the winter, trees are: a) Dead. b) Sleeping. c) Living off food stored in the roots.

2. Leaves that change color in the fall but stay on trees through the winter are: a) Marcescent. b) Hanging on for dear life c) Stuck with super glue.

3. Trees that keep green leaves through the winter are: a) Invincible. b) Evergreens. c) Staying warm.

4. Evergreens have leaves that are waxy or thin and needle-like: a) To help the trees conserve water though the winter months. b) Because they belong to a sewing circle. c) To make it easier to hang ornaments from the branches.

1) c; 2) a; 3) b; 4) a; 5) b; 6) b; 7) a; 8) c

Answer Key:

5. The custom of the Christmas tree came to the United States: a) With the pilgrims. b) In 1850 in a magazine picture of the British royal family celebrating Christmas. c) From the Native Americans.

6. Living Christmas trees: a) Are monsters waiting to gobble up small children. b) Are sold live with roots and soil to be planted after the holidays. c) Will dance around your living room to holiday music.

7. Mulch (leaves and/or shredded bark) placed around the base of a tree in winter: a) Protects the tree roots from cold temperature and moisture loss. b) Does nothing. c) Smells like maple syrup.

8. The sugar in the sap of the sugar maple: a) Acts as antifreeze to stop the sap of the tree from freezing in the winter. b) Is collected to make maple syrup. c) Both.

Winter Tree Identification

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Match the following images with the correct tree species below.

Paper birch

Tulip tree

Sugar maple

American beech Bur oak

Answer Key: theleaflet | January 2011

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Eastern hemlock 4

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1) Sugar maple; 2) White spruce; 3) Bur oak; 4) Paper birch; 5) Eastern hemlock; 6) Tulip tree; 7) American beech

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White spruce

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