The Leaflet — March 2014

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MARCH 2014

Spring’s Offerings A look ahead — new events, friends and plantings coming soon.

CASEY TREES NEWS IN BRIEF

RiverSmart Homes program readies for the spring season With the support of the District Department of the Environment, the RiverSmart Homes program is taking aim at another strong planting season as Casey Trees’ Tree Planting team is gearing up to plant 350 trees on residential property across the District.

To prepare, Arborist Marty Frye has been meeting with homeowners since October 2013 to develop personally tailored planting plans that will both beautify their yards and help reduce stormwater runoff into the District’s waterways. Casey Trees congratulates homeowners who have chosen to plant trees on their property and help restore the tree canopy of the District. RiverSmart Homes participants will benefit from a diverse lineup of 32 native species in the upcoming season, with trees being selected from the Casey Tree Farm and regional partner nurseries.

CASEY TREES NEWS COMMUNICATIONS STAFF MEMBER DEPARTS CASEY TREES | Christopher Horn, a creative pillar within the Communications and Development Department for more than three years, has left Casey Trees. Horn took his wealth of communications and urban forestry knowledge to a challenging new role as Director of Communications at American Forests. Horn leaves behind trademark contributions, such as his stewardship of The Leaflet, a knack for community relationships and a token flair for creating inspiring events and tasteful content. Casey Trees wishes Christopher the best in all his future endeavors!

DR. JESSICA SANDERS REPORTS ON TREE GROWTH EXPECTATIONS IN NEW STUDY | Casey Trees’ own Jessica Sanders, PhD and Jason Grabosky, PhD, of Rutgers University, published a study in the Urban Forestry & Urban Greening journal evaluating the potentially reduced growth expectations of five tree species found in New Jersey parking lots. Factors such as tree height, diameter at breast height, canopy radius and apparent available soil were used to evaluate growth trends.

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The study concluded that across different parking lots, reductions in tree size were consistently associated with reduced apparent soil access.

TREE PLANTING CREW TAGS CASEY TREE FARM STOCK | The Tree Planting team, along with Casey Tree Farm staff, has begun collecting, tagging, and cataloging farm trees using Casey Trees’ new mobile tree tracking application. (Read more about the app on page 10). The trees will be carefully monitored and tagged from the beginning of their lives until well into the long years to come. For the spring 2014 season, a record 52 percent of trees to be planted will come from the Casey Tree Farm.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE WITH CASEY TREES | The Communications and Development team is seeking a CRM Administrator who will manage Casey Trees’ Salesforce and Luminate platforms while overseeing day-to-day operations. Our Education Department is now accepting applications for a TreeWise Camp Coordinator and Outdoor Educator. The seasonal position runs from May to August 15, 2014. The Camp Coordinator will support the TreeWise program through lesson development and will help lead outdoor sessions across the D.C.

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metro region and at the U.S. National Arboretum.

COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING PROGRAM APPLICATIONS DUE MAY 1 | Community groups interested in hosting a Community Tree Planting (CTP) event are encouraged to submit an application by May 1 to be considered for the fall 2014 and spring 2015 planting seasons. Groups must have locations for 10 or more trees on their private or public property. To learn more about the CTP requirements, just visit the application page where an online application form is also readily available.

CASEY TREES ENHANCES LINKEDIN PRESENCE | A newly activated and redesigned LinkedIn page will help Casey Trees better engage with urban forestry and arboricultural practitioners while building stronger business and personal relationships. While posting basic information such as job announcements, the page will share daily content of interest regarding policy, research, and local and national trends to D.C. metro residents, mid-Atlantic

foresters and tree enthusiasts alike. Also featured will be Casey Trees’ weekly Treelines blog posts, which highlight relevant industry information. Readers are encouraged to follow, read, share content and connect with Casey Trees in new ways through LinkedIn.

URBAN FORESTRY NEWS GLOBAL WARMING A FACTOR IN THE HEALTHY OF URBAN FORESTS | As researchers and urban foresters alike acknowledge the presence of a warming climate, attention shifts to how trees and urban forests will respond to warming scenarios. Dr. Andrew Bell of the Chicago Botanic Garden has studied many trees common to Chicago’s urban forest and their predicted resilience to climate change scenarios. Although many of the trees studied would fare well, up to 20 percent of Chicago’s common trees would not respond well to a warming urban environment. The research points to a need for dialogue when considering the trees planted today and the conditions they will face as they age.

IN THIS ISSUE...

THE CANOPY AWARDS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES GROW........................................................... 5 SPOTLIGHT: CITIZEN FORESTER TAYLOR SHAW BRINGS EMPLOYER’S MISSION TO LIFE.............. 6 Q&A WITH TREE TOUR GUIDE CAROLE BERGMANN............................................................................... 7 FURTHER URBAN FOREST UNDERSTANDIHG WITH PHENOLOGY..................................................... 8-9 NEW MOBILE APPLICATION DEBUTS TREE MAINTENANCE FUNCTION............................................. 10 REDISCOVER THE TREE REBATE............................................................................................................... 11 SOUTHWEST D.C. LOOKS TO EXPAND TREE CANOPY..................................................................... 12-13 MARCH AND APRIL EVENTS, CLASSES AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES................................ 14-15 ARBOR KIDS: PROJECT BUDBURST......................................................................................................... 16

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HONOR. SUPPORT. CELEBRATE.

04 24 14 4

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE INAUGURAL

CASEY TREES CANOPY AWARDS Recognizing those making a difference today, raising funds for the urban forest of tomorrow.

ARBOR DAY EVE

04.24.14

6:30 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

DOCK5 @ UNION MARKET 1309 5TH STREET NE, W DC

$45 ADVANCE SALES $55 AT THE DOOR per person

Food. Drinks. Games. Music. Prizes. Silent Auction.

R.S.V.P. BY 04.18.14

Purchase tickets at caseytrees.org/canopyawards

ALL PROCEES BENEFIT CASEY TREES.

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Giving Distinguished partners join Canopy Awards

By Mark DeSantis, Development Associate, Casey Trees | Without question, the talk of the town these days has been the recent announcement of the upcoming Casey Trees Canopy Awards on April 24.

A first of its kind for our organization and D.C., the event will celebrate the people, projects and partners that have made incredible contributions to our city’s urban forest.

Beyond a great celebration filled with food, games and live music, we hope this annual event will serve as an opportunity to expand our network of supporters.

Casey Trees has unveiled our newest sponsorship program, specifically catered to the Canopy Awards.

From discount and complimentary tickets to on-site signage to advertising space in our event program, the benefits are incredibly unique and can be catered to your business’ philanthropic goals. And it doesn’t take much, with levels starting at just $500.

Do not miss out on what is sure to be a truly fantastic event. With roughly 300 people scheduled to attend, the Casey Trees Canopy Awards is a great opportunity to meet and greet our city’s best and brightest tree-lovers.

Explore what opportunities are available to you and your business by going online or contacting us by email. All proceeds of the Canopy Awards will go to Casey Trees and our tree planting and education initiatives across the region.

We hope to see you there for what will be a milestone event for Casey Trees and our city!

The Casey Trees Canopy Awards will take place on April 24, 2014 at Dock5 @ Union Market from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tickets are available for $45.00 per person. If you prefer to register over the phone, or cannot attend but would like to make a donation, please contact our Development Department at 202.349.3471.

GIFT THROUGH THE SILENT AUCTION If a sponsorship doesn’t interest you, don’t worry – you can still help! If you or your business would like to donate an item or service to the night’s silent auction to make it even better, please let us know!

Any gift will help our efforts.

You will notice we have already secured some incredible sponsors for the event — you can join:

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Spotlight National Geographic designer uses magazine’s mission as daily inspiration

By Max Lopatnikov, Communications Intern, Casey Trees | What is cool about Casey Trees?

Citizen Forester Taylor Shaw thinks it is the fact that we trust strangers to wield pickaxes.

After moving to the District in 2010, Shaw and a friend volunteered with Casey Trees and she was hooked after having a great time planting trees, where she began honing her pickaxe skills.

“Casey Trees gives me all the resources I need to show up, get my hands dirty, and give back to my local environment,” she said.

Shaw now has a rich résumé with Casey Trees. She will act as Lead Citizen Forester for the first time at this spring’s Rosedale Conservancy Community Tree Planting (CTP) event. Also of note, Shaw has helped organize Casey Trees and National Geographic volunteer days, including previous Clean Up the World Day events with the Embassy of Australia and an upcoming Global Youth Service Day event in April.

As a Production Artist at National Geographic, Shaw uses her youth, creativity and design skills to help brand and promote the conservation efforts that the magazine represents. Working at a place whose mission is to “inspire people to care about the planet” creates the desire to get out and put that philosophy to use.

“I receive a daily dose of inspiration,” she said of how her work life impacts her personal life.

Shaw knows that volunteering with Casey Trees can be a fun and challenging activity for many people and makes sure everyone knows that too.

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As a Team Leader, Taylor Shaw leads volunteers at CTP events, such as the one above in Ward 5’s Brookland Manor neighborhood in October 2013.

“Volunteering with Casey Trees creates a unique opportunity because you contribute your time in a way that will continually give back to your city,” she said.

“For example, three hours on a Saturday can yield years of beauty, shade, air quality improvement and prevention of water runoff. The input-to-output ratio is insanely rewarding.”

Want to become a Citizen Forester Team Leader? Register for the Tree Planting Workshop on Mar. 8 at The Catholic University of America and attend two more plantings in the spring season.

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Education Local ecologist Carole Bergmann shares wisdom with Casey Trees Carole Bergmann is a Forest Ecologist for the Maryland National Capital Parks & Planning Commission and a longtime resident of the D.C. metro area. On March 23, Bergmann will lead a tree tour at Great Falls. We spoke with her about forest ecology, public engagement and her favorite places to see trees in the region.

Q: What are the most important facts you would tell someone to remember about forest ecology?

A: Forests — mature, contiguous forests — are so important and their value cannot be understated. Deer pressure and non-native invasive overgrowth are serious issues in most urban forests in the Mid-Atlantic today.

Forest managers were once able to set aside a parcel and leave to naturally regenerate itself. Over time, the forces of nature would do their work and the various successional stages would lead to a mature forest with habitat levels for a variety of flora and fauna. That is no longer the case. When doing some type of building or infrastructure development, think twice about cutting down trees in your way. Sure, you can replant them, but you can’t just plant a group of trees any more and expect to have a new, healthy forest in 25 years.

Q: Your Weed Warriors program has helped to resolve invasive plant problems in Maryland forests. What is the best way to engage the public about tree care & health?

A: The best way to engage people is through education and empowerment. I think that people do generally care a lot about trees, and the health of their forests. The

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more they learn, the more important it becomes to them to protect these resources. The more they comprehend and realize that they can help and make a difference, the better for them personally and for the natural world. I think that Casey Trees does a good job by both educating people about the importance of protecting our resources, and empowering them by teaching them what they can do, and providing opportunities to volunteer planting trees, etc.

Q: What are your own favorite parks, forests and trees in and outside D.C.?

A: That is a very broad question to be asking someone like me! The Potomac River, and all of the lands and forests that surround it, are extremely special to me. I think that we who live in the D.C. area are exceedingly lucky to have this river, to have such a place where you can go in any season and be — quite simply — uplifted.

Some of my favorite parks include the National Arboretum and Rock Creek Park in D.C. I also enjoy visiting Little Bennett Regional Park (Md.), C&O Canal National Historic Park (Md.) and Great Falls Park (Va.).

But there are many more!

I love native Mid-Atlantic tree species such as the tuliptree and sycamore, but also sassafras, ginkgo,

Additional information about online, classroom and outdoor educational opportunities can be accessed on the website or found on pages 14 and 15.

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Education Volunteer’s contribute to understanding of D.C.’s Phenology

By Stephanie Juchs, Community Education Coordinator, Casey Trees | Spring time in Washington, D.C. is often unofficially marked with the blooming of the city’s historic cherry trees. While these blooms provide some gorgeous photo opportunities, they also tell the tale of how cherry trees are reacting to weather and climate patterns over time.

The study of the timing of seasonal life-cycle events, such as the cherry tree blossoms, and how these events are influenced by variations in weather and on a longer time scale by climate is called phenology.

Here at Casey Trees we hope to encourage D.C.-area residents’ interest in phenology to move beyond the cherry blossoms to the numerous other species found in the District. Through monitoring, our constituents can be on the forefront of investigating tree phenology in the region and add to the growing national dataset of phenological observations that can later be used to investigate climate trends.

Casey Trees recognizes the threat that climate change will pose to our urban forest and how a changing environment might necessitate us to alter some of our practices as well as our planting palate. We are interested in tracking the timing of phenological events, such as leaf out, fruiting, fall color and leaf drop, on several tree species in the D.C. area, including American elm, blackgum, northern red oak, pin oak, red maple, sweetbay magnolia, sweetgum and tuliptree.

Washington, D.C. provides a wonderful example of the long-term monitoring of phenology and its practical applications with the city’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is scheduled to coincide with the blossoming of Acer rubrum samara — the fruit of red maples. the District’s historic cherry trees. The tree’s blossoming is highly correlated with weather conditions, and National Park Service records Our hope is that our constituents, armed with their tree of bloom dates, going back to the 1920s, suggest an identification and anatomy knowledge, will learn to average advance in the bloom date that is noticeable notice the seasonal changes that occur on these trees thanks to this long-term monitoring.

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absence of specific phenophases (did you see breaking buds? Or leaves? Or colored leaves?).

Those who wish to provide more in-depth information will gain the skills to additionally report on the intensity of the phenophases, such as an estimate of the percentage of leaves unfolded on each observation visit.

A special invitation to this training session was sent to our Citizen Foresters that have taken our introductory classes and are now equipped with the background knowledge that would be helpful when monitoring.

throughout the year and become attuned to how these changes are tied to weather and climate patterns.

Flowers and twigs of the American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua).

With this goal in mind, we are partnering with the USANational Phenology Network to have our educated volunteers monitor tree phenology in the metropolitan area. We are kicking off this new program on the first weekend of spring with a training session to teach how to monitor phenology at newly established Casey Trees monitoring sites or anywhere else in the region where our species of interest occur.

At these sites, participants will be trained on how to make observations — ideally around once a week during the spring and fall, with potentially fewer observations during the dormant season — of the presence or

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In the long term, this citizen science-based research will help inform our organizational practices and advance the field of urban forestry as we learn how the species in Washington, D.C. are responding to climate variability and, over a longer period, to climate change. Additionally, as our organization expands regionally and continues to have a presence in Berryville, Va., home of Casey Tree Farm, we hope to expand our monitoring activities and learn whether the timing of these phenological events might differ in urban areas when compared with the surrounding suburban and rural land types.

We are excited to launch this new endeavor and utilize the knowledge and expertise of our volunteers to further our own understanding of our urban forest and inform our practices. Be on the lookout for our landing page (still under construction) on the USA-National Phenology Network webpage and for more training opportunities in the future!

Check Casey Trees’ events page for other classes and activities to enhance you tree knowledge in time for spring.

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Technology & Research Mobile application shines with tree maintenance featureNANCE FUNCTION

By Michael Potts, GIS Analyst, Casey Trees | Maintenance activities such as pruning, watering and mulching can really make the difference between a tree’s survival and death, especially in its first few fragile years in the city.

With our new mobile tree tracking app, tree care is conveniently tracked using an intuitive interface. Additionally, users can record if a tree should be revisited for additional work. Our previous system allowed for a limited amount of maintenance tracking (pruning and general condition only), but was only recorded on a last-visited basis, meaning that if someone revisited a tree, the old maintenance data would be overwritten.

If tags are missing, the user can select the tree of interest by drawing a box around it in the map view as shown in the inset image.

Using our new app, a user can record maintenance activity on a single tree or on multiple trees at once. If the tree still has its QR code tags, the app can scan the tree into our database. With GPS functionality given by the app, the user can easily find where they are on the ground in relation to trees on the map, so they can be sure they are selecting

the right trees.

THE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY SELECTOR With the trees visited listed at the top, work performed at the “Current Visit” and work for the “Revisit”. The user must select at every visit the current condition of the

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tree and pruning performed from convenient dropdown menus. They can also select whether they mulched, watered, or staked the tree and whether they installed, filled, or removed the tree’s water bag.

Despite the greater ease of recording maintenance information when compared to our previous system, a noteworthy new feature allows the crew to record problems that may need to be addressed in the future for a given tree. These problems could include a need for pruning, staking, mulching, watering, or even tree replacement.

Back in the Casey Trees headquarters, we can query the tree database to get a list of trees that need to be revisited for different types of work along with their locations. This strategy makes it easy to plan where to send our Tree Planting team to perform various activities and maximize our resources to better care for trees.

With these tech-savvy assets, recording a tree’s condition and other attributes at each and every visit gives Casey Trees an invaluable degree of control towards caring for all our trees over time.

For more creative examples of work from the Technology and Research team, explore the informative maps created from tree data.

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Tree Planting Tree Rebate returns for spring season

By Marty Frye, Arborist, Casey Trees | Have you heard of the Tree Rebate program?

Sometimes we may fail to recognize all the great tree planting work that is going on right in the backyards of homeowners across the city. Many Washingtonians choose to get involved with our work by stepping out their back door, putting a shovel into the ground and planting a tree that they will nurture and watch grow for decades to come. This noble act of nurturing a tree in one’s own yard is vital to the effort to restore the city’s tree canopy and develop its ecological integrity.

Through the Tree Rebate program, funded by the District Department of the Environment, we help to incentivize this work by putting money back in the pockets of these home tree planters.

We take special measures to support the planting of our most significant shade trees — take D.C.’s official tree, the scarlet oak, for example — with up to a rebate of up to $100 dollars. There are dozens more species eligible for the $100 rebate, too! For homeowners who determine they want to green their property with smaller specimens, we provide up to a $50 dollar rebate.

Some homeowners are looking for an ornamental tree that brings them a bouquet of blossoms in the spring while others are hoping to support native wildlife, such as butterflies and song birds, by planting uncommon native trees. And still others find that they can add

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to their pantry with one of the many productive fruit and nut trees that thrive in this region.

Many residents have received their tree rebates after planting a tree, but plenty of space remains.

The map to the right represents the hundreds of homeowners who have planted a tree and received rebates in return since the programs beginning.

Do you have a neighbor who has planted a tree and got a rebate? If so, great! Give them a big pat on the back. If you live in a part of the city with fewer trees, we are calling on you to champion this important work and let your neighbors know about the Tree Rebate opportunity.

The benefits of trees are numerous and the Tree Rebate helps make tree planting accessible to anyone.

Casey Trees offers a collection of print and video tutorials on how to plant and care for trees.

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Planning & Design A vision for Southwest D.C.: The Southwest Neighborhood Plan

By Emily Oaksford, Planning Associate, Casey Trees | At Casey Trees, we are always looking for ways to restore, enhance and protect trees in D.C., because we believe that the environmental health, social vibrancy and economic well-being of communities can be enriched with a greater tree canopy.

The DC Office of Planning is undergoing a community planning process to develop a Small Area Plan for the Southwest neighborhood. They are enlisting community input to “create an urban design, land use, and neighborhood preservation framework to enhance Southwest[‘s] assets for the next 5 to 10 years.”

Southwest is a well-established neighborhood located south of the National Mall, defined in the plan as a roughly 300-acre area bounded by I-395 to the north, P Street SW to the south, South Capitol Street to the east, and Maine Avenue SW to the west. The neighborhood includes the Waterfront Metro station, is located just north of Buzzards Point, and is in walking distance to Nationals Stadium.

A magnificent, well-developed tree canopy helps to define the Southwest neighborhood. But our Planning & Design Department would like to see these areas preserved and expanded. We performed a tree canopy analysis to better inform the Office of Planning and the area residents of the existing tree canopy and opportunities for canopy enhancement in Southwest.

Based on our analysis, the Southwest neighborhood currently has 25 percent tree canopy cover. Although urban conditions often limit plantable space, the

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Southwest neighborhood is unique in that it has the potential for a fairly high tree canopy cover — 37 percent or greater, to be exact. Southwest’s potential tree canopy lies in its public parks and roadways, shared community spaces, paved parking lots and undeveloped sites, which all provide untapped opportunities for large canopy trees. Canopy trees, incorporated within green infrastructure, can help meet the community’s goals for the future — to integrate the neighborhood’s current park and open space amenities and connect them with the surrounding community.

In order to grow from 25 percent to its potential of 37 percent tree canopy, the neighborhood must cover 113 acres of its existing grassed land with canopy trees. In other words, a total of 11,900 trees must be planted, or 1,190 trees a year over a 10-year period.

Of the 300 acres that make up the Southwest neighborhood, more than 38.5 acres (12.8 percent) are roadways and 68.3 acres (22.8 percent) are other paved surfaces, such as sidewalks or parking lots. If nine acres of paved parking lot areas were removed and replaced with canopy trees, the Southwest neighborhood could achieve 40 percent canopy, matching the District-wide canopy goal.

Based on this analysis, our Planning & Design staff will recommend that the Office of Planning and Southwest residents adopt a 37 percent tree canopy goal as part of the Small Area Plan.

Take part in shaping the canopy of Southwest by volunteering at the Lansburgh Park Community Tree Planting on May 3.

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Ave S ware

4

M Street SW 5

South Capitol Street SW

Waterfront

Dela

3rd Street SW

W

I Street SW

Southwest Duck Pond

Half Street SW

2

4th Street SW

6th Street SW

1

7th Street SW

Southwest Neighborhood: Existing Tree Canopy

N Street SW First Street SW

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O Street SW

Nationals Stadium

P Street SW

Recreation fields

1 Jefferson Recreation Center 4 Lansburgh Park (tennis courts) 2 Amidon-Bowden Elementary School 5 King Greenleaf Recreation Center (tennis courts) 3 Randal Recreation Center 6 King Greenleaf Recreation Center

Landcover Type (Percent Coverage)

Existing Tree Canopy and Potential Tree Canopy Analysis

Building (21.6%)

Tree Canopy (24.9%)

Tree Canopy Cover: 25% Tree Canopy / (Total Area - Water)

Water (0.3%)

Grass (17.5%)

Potential Tree Canopy: 37% (Tree Canopy + Grass + Bare Earth) / (Total Area - Water - (Rec fields + PUDs)

Roadway (12.8%)

Bare Earth (0.4%)

Other Pavement (22.8%)

Recreation fields

Potential Tree Canopy is assessed by assuming that Grass and Bare Earth areas have the potential for future canopy cover.

In our assessment, we excluded some grass and dirt areas as potential locations for future trees. The areas excluded in the analysis are Recreation fields (DPR or DCPS)* and approved Planning Unit Development (PUD) sites.

Planned Unit Development sites 0

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0.1

0.2

0.25

miles

NORTH

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Events Tree tours and classes to enjoy this spring March and April are full of classes, tree tours and planting events to participate in. Become a Casey Trees Member to receive exclusive benefits, such as advance registration to events like those below!

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 Class: Tree Planting Workshop 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Catholic University of America 620 Michigan Avenue NE This workshop is the first step to becoming a Citizen Forester Team Leader and helping Casey Trees at future plantings by instructing other volunteers! Team Leader candidates will learn how to select and prepare a tree planting site and properly plant the tree to ensure its survival.

Cost: Free **This is a Citizen Foresterqualifying course. (Waitlist available)

TUESDAY, MARCH 11 Social: Branch Out Happy Hour 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

El Rey 919 U Street NW March’s Branch Out will be at El Rey, a bar and taqueria and one of U Street’s newest establishments.

Come celebrate with us as spring is only around the corner. **No registration required

SUNDAY, MARCH 23 Tree Tour: Gold Mine Tract at Great Falls 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

11710 MacArthur Boulevard Potomac, Md. Welcome spring with a hike through the Gold Mine Tract at Great Falls, the first forest in Maryland to be inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network. Join Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission’s Forest Ecologist Carole Bergmann and explore this exceptional forest habitat.

Cost: Free **Advance registration was offered exclusively to Casey Trees Members.

Join today to receive benefits such as advance registration. (Waitlist available)

SATURDAY, MARCH 29 Tree Tour: Cherry Blossom Walk 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location determined upon registration Join Washington Walks and Casey Trees for a walking tour recounting how Japanese cherry trees came to be planted in the District and the different varieties found in the area.

The walk will also include up-close looks at other notable trees along the National Mall.

Cost: $20 **Registration for this event is through the Washington Walks website.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 12 Tree Tour: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 1411 W Street SE Celebrate the District’s Emancipation Day a few days early with a tour of Frederick Douglass’ home and the surrounding grounds!

A morning tour of Cedar Hill, the former home of Frederick Douglass, will be followed by a tree tour led

by City of Trees author Melanie Choukas-Bradley.

Cost: Free, SOLD OUT

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 Class: Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal 6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Casey Trees Headquarters This course looks at non-native, invasive plants and how they threaten native landscapes.

Participants will learn how to identify and control invasives found in the D.C. area. The course consists of two parts on two different days: a 2.5 hour classroom session at the Casey Trees headquarters (April 23rd) followed by a 3 hour field session (April 26th) in Rock Creek Park

Cost: Free

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Volunteer

SATURDAY, APRIL 26 Class: Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal Field Session 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Rock Creek Park Field session for “Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal” class. The course consists of two parts on two different days: a 2.5 hour classroom session at the Casey Trees headquarters (April 23rd) followed by a 3 hour field session (April 26th) in Rock Creek Park.

Cost: Free **Registering for the classroom session automatically registers participants for the field session

Volunteer opportunities are in blue. Citizen Forester-only plantings or trainings are in green.

Schools and special planting events are not open to outside volunteers. Advance registration for volunteer events is required and many events have already filled up.

MARCH DATE

DAY

TIME

LOCATION/GROUP

Wednesday Thursday Saturday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Saturday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Saturday

9:00 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

Washington Latin PCS IDEA PCS The Catholic University of America E.L. Haynes PCS Cardozo High School Drew Freeman Middle School (Md.) Excel PCS Petworth Neighborhood Gwynn Park High School (Md.) Capital City PCS Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy Bruce Monroe at Park View Neval Thomas Elementary School Garfield Park Rosedale Community Garden

Thursday Saturday Saturday Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Friday Tuesday

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

Garrison Elementary School St. Joseph’s Seminary Shepherd Park Robert Goddard Montessori School (Md.) Armed Forces Retirement Home Quincy Street Neighbors Edgewood Neighborhood Fair Haven Community Center (Va.) Knox Terrace Imagine Hope - Lamond PCS

Saturday Saturday

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

Lansburgh Park Rosedale Conservancy

5 6 8 12 12 13 13 15 19 20 22 26 27 29 29

APRIL

3 5 5 10 11 12 12 19 19 22

MAY

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Arbor Kids

Project BudBurst Spring is almost here! The trees in your neighborhood, park and school grounds will be changing a lot in the next couple of months. Now is a great time to start monitoring those trees and tracking their changes.

The folks over at Project BudBurst want your help to gather observations on all kinds of trees and plants.

Help scientists across the country by logging your own tree observations and data online.

1. Pick a tree in your yard, neighborhood, or school grounds.

2. Get identification tips from Budburst.

3. Download an observation sheet for your favorite tree. Monitor the same tree once or throughout a whole season!

Single Report

Date

Deciduous Trees & Shrubs

About your plant

American Sycamore.

Common Plant Name*

Latitude* Longitude*

Scientific Name (if known)

City* Site Name (a unique name of your choosing)

State*

Zip

* Required fields

4. Get outdoors and look out for changes like:

What is your plant doing now?

(Check the most applicable option in each category below.)

Leaves unfolding

Leaves changing color

Leaves dropping

____ No leaves

____ No leaves have changed color

____ No leaves have dropped

____ Early: Only a few leaves have unfolded from the buds (less than 5%)

____ Early: Only a few leaves have changed color (less than 5%)

____ Early: Only a few leaves have dropped (less than 5%)

____ Middle: Many leaves have changed color

____ Middle: Many leaves have dropped

____ Late: Most leaves have changed color (over 95%)

____ Late: Most leaves have dropped (over 95%)

____ Middle: Many leaves have unfolded from the buds

BUDBURST FULL FLOWER FIRST LEAF FIRST RIPE FRUIT ALL LEAVES UNFOLDED

____ Late: Most leaves are fully unfolded (over 95%)

Participating in Project BudBurst

Flowers

Fruit

____ No flowers or pollen

____ No ripe fruits

____ Early: Only a few flowers have emerged (less than 5%) or pollen is just starting to disperse

____ Early: Only a few ripe fruits are visible (less than 5% are ripe)

Observe: Observe a plant in your community.

____ Middle: Many fruits are ripe

Record: Record your observation

____ Middle: Many flowers have emerged or a lot of pollen is falling ____ Late: Most flowers have wilted or fallen off (over 95%) or most pollen has fallen

____ Late: Most fruits or seeds have been dispersed from plant (over 95%)

on a Single Report form.

Submit: Submit your observation on www.budburst.org

Single Report forms are used to make observations of what one plant is doing on one specific day. Remember to report your data at www.budburst.org Questions? Email us at budburstinfo@neoninc.org

| CITIZEN SCIENCE Š 2013 NEON, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tuliptree.

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March 2014 | theleaflet