Winter Class Schedule Released - Sign up now!

With just two planting events left, we will soon be wrapping up our fall planting season. But did you know you there are plenty of ways to participate and learn about trees, even in the off-season? Our 2012 workshops, classes and tree tours will help you become an informed care-taker of the District's trees. That's the best part. The second best part is every event is free!

Informational classes
All classes are held at the Casey Trees Headquarters, at 3030 12 Street NE. Light meals are provided.

• Trees 101:  Saturday, January  21, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. This Citizen Forester-qualifying course will give you an overview of tree anatomy, tree identification and the benefits provided by an urban forest. 
• Stand Up for Trees: Saturday, February  4, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Learn how to advocate for trees in your community and become a Citizen Forester.
• What's Bugging D.C. - Our Urban Forest Pests: Wednesday, February 8, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Learn about the major pests that threaten D.C.'s urban forest and what is being done to manage them. 
• Trees 201: Saturday, February  11, 9 a.m. - noon. Geared toward Citizen Foresters and Project Organizers, Trees 201 will teach you year-round tree characteristics and limitations or tolerances in urban conditions.
• Forest Gardens: Wednesday, February 22, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Instructor and Researcher Lincoln Smith will focus on how to produce food such as vegetables, flour and nuts in healthy ecosystems.
• Remarkable Trees of Virginia: Friday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Join Dr. Jeff Kirwan, co-author of Remarkable Trees of Virginia, for a discussion about remarkable and historical trees in Virginia. 

Casey Trees' Shawn Walker shows a participant how to prune trees at Dangerfield Island last winter.

Workshops and Tree Walks

• Pruning Workshop: Saturday, January 14, 9:30 a.m. - noon. Location: Dangerfield Island, Alexandria. Join Barry Stahl, horticulturist for the National Park Service, for hands-on practice with pruning trees.
• Winter ID - Trees In Transition Tree Walk: Saturday, March 10. Location: Rock Creek Trail at Beach Drive, Maryland. Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City of Trees, will lead a winter hike and put your tree identifying skills to the test in Rock Creek Park.

 For more information and to sign up, visit the calendar of events on our website.

Fort Dupont Tree Walk

Come enjoy the fall foliage with Casey Trees on October 15. Jorge Bogantes Montero, from the Anacostia Watershed Society and Shawn Walker, Urban Forestry Instructor for Casey Trees will lead a tree walk at Fort Dupont from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

As part of Feet in the Street (FITS) Day, the roads of Fort Dupont will be closed to vehicles. Take advantage and stroll around the park. Participants in the tree walk will learn about notable specimen and their characteristics, as well as basic tree identification methods.

There are only a few spots left in the October 15 Tree Walk at Fort Dupont, so register soon! For more information and to view all upcoming events, check out our calendar.

Casey Trees volunteers at a tree planting at Fort Dupont in 2006.

Tree Tours This Fall

A tree tour at Lincoln Cottage this past spring.

Sign up for a tree tour this season! Featured this fall are three tour sites back by popular demand and one new tour. Spots fill up quickly - the first tour is already booked - so be sure to register soon. Register by clicking on a tour name below or by visiting our complete calendar. The following tree tours are still open:

Fort Dupont Fall Tree ID Walk: Celebrate bright fall foliage with this educational tree tour of Fort Dupont Park. Shawn Walker, Urban Forestry Instructor for Casey Trees, and Jorge Bogantes Montero from the Anacostia Watershed Society will lead the tour. Explore Fort Dupont's diverse tree canopy and hone your tree identification skills. Check out our post on Fort Dupont for more reasons to sign up for this tour.
Saturday, Oct. 15: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Bike Tour on the National Mall: Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City of Trees, will lead a leisurely bike tour of notable trees along the National Mall. Enjoy the scenery and trees of the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution Museums, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Capitol grounds and the United States Botanic Garden. Hurry - there are only 5 spots left in this popular tree tour!
Sunday, Oct. 23: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Evergreens, Winter ID and Bird Habit: New to our tour schedule, "Evergreens, Winter ID and Bird Habit" will explore winter tree life at the U.S. National Arboretum. Learn about evergreens and the important role trees play in providing winter homes for birds. Our own Mike Ferguson and Shawn Walker will lead the tour.
Saturday, Dec. 3: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Can't make it out to a docent-led tour? Our downloadable tree walks are the perfect way to explore the District's noteworthy tree spots on your own time and at your own pace. Featured currently are guides to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, NGA Sculpture Garden and Tudor Place. Check back frequently for new downloadable tree walks.

Take a Stroll Through Tudor Place with Our Newest Downloadable Tree Walk

Looking for a tree-packed nature walk right here in the city? Check out this month's downloadable tree walk featuring Tudor Place in Georgetown. Tudor Place boasts an impressive collection of trees, from White and Chestnut oaks to its historic tulip tree - designated as D.C.'s "Millennium Landmark Tree." Just print out the map to use as a reference while you traverse the site at your own pace and time.

Our downloadable tree walk map for August. Click the image above to view the full map.

Maps feature:

• An introduction to the site
• Its trees' common and Latin names
• Pin-point locations for trees of interest with accompanying descriptions
• A walking rating, defining level of difficulty, surface type, ADA accessibility, distance and estimated walking time 

If you're looking to saunter through a new, unexplored area of the city, any one of our downloadable tree walks may be just your style. However, if you prefer a human tour guide, you still have the option of taking an in-person tree walk at one of various locations around the District. Check out our calender of events for upcoming tree walks, classes, community tree plantings and other events.

Views of Tudor Place's lush grounds.

Summer Tree Spots: Cedar Hill

The Frederick Douglass House at Cedar Hill, built in 1855

Whether you’re looking for a historical adventure or just a pretty place to picnic, Cedar Hill is the perfect location for a stay-cation day in D.C. Located at 1411 W Street SE in Ward 8, Cedar Hill is a National Historic Site that was home to abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass. The site's restored house, diverse tree canopy and spectacular view of downtown D.C. make it a Summer Spot well worth visiting.

Frederick Douglass and his family occupied the 21-room mansion and 15 acres of land at Cedar Hill from 1877 until 1895. After Douglass’s death, the site belonged to several non-profit associations before becoming a unit of the National Park Service in 1962. It has since undergone two restorations and is now open to the public year-round.

Shade trees at Cedar Hill. The small building is the Growler, where Douglass used to think and write.

What to do:

• See where Frederick Douglass worked and what inspired him. Tour times and reservations for the Frederick Douglass House are available here.
• Check out the old white oak tree on the front lawn, the largest tree that was alive and well when Frederick Douglass lived at Cedar Hill.
• View the D.C. skyline from across the river.
• Explore native tree species such as tulip trees, white ashes, black locusts and several kinds of oak trees. 
• Pack a picnic to enjoy on the shady lawn of Cedar Hill.

A great view of the Washington Monument from the steps of Cedar Hill. Photo credit: Tedeytan

Casey Trees hosted a Tree Walk at Cedar Hill in 2010. Tentatively, we will offer one again this fall. Check back often to our calendar for updates on Tree Walk schedules and other upcoming events. 

Can’t wait for the next docent-led tour? Take advantage of our free downloadable tree walks. Sites maps are currently available for the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and the NGA Sculpture Garden. Check back for new downloadable tree walks added monthly.

Tree Walk Recap: Tudor Place

Nine participants braved the brutal heat on Saturday morning to attend our tree walk at Tudor Place in Georgetown. Suzanne Bouchard, Director of Gardens and Grounds, led the tour. The historic site's large tree canopy not only made for an interesting tour, it also provided much-appreciated shade. The group, which included four Citizen Foresters, learned about the history of the grounds and several unique trees including a 200-year old tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) that was voted D.C.’s Millennium Tree. 

Bouchard talks to the group in front of the mansion at Tudor Place

The enormous tulip tree, planted in 1805

Can't wait for our next docent-led tour? Take advantage of our free downloadable tree walks. Sites maps are currently available for the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and the NGA Sculpture Garden. A Tudor Place tree walk map will be added in the coming weeks.

Also be sure to visit our Calendar of Events webpage to learn about upcoming continuing education classes such as Stand Up for Trees and rewarding volunteer opportunities. Remember: registration is required and space is limited for all classes and volunteer events.

Summer Tree Spots: Rock Creek Park

Have you ever wanted to completely engulf yourself in nature but don't have the time for an excursion out into the country? No need to fret, as you can easily do this at Rock Creek Park without even setting foot outside the District.

Comprised of more than four square miles of urban forest and spanning portions of Wards 3 and 4, Rock Creek Park is the largest and one of the most notable parks in D.C. The park was first established by an Act of Congress in 1890, placing it among some of the nation's first national parks. Today, more than 100 years later, it is still a favorite outdoor site for Washingtonians. 

A majestic cluster of trees stand tall in Rock Creek.

Since it has been protected for such a long time, Rock Creek's forest holds some of the oldest and largest trees in Washington. Notable species you may find include tulip, white ash, American beech, hickory and red oak. By the edges of the creek green ash, hornbeam and river birch stand tall along with other varieties. This is certainly not a comprehensive species list but simply a taste of the park's vast holdings of trees.

Rock Creek's namesake creek bisects its full tree canopy in summer.

In the past, Casey Trees has hosted a number of tree walks and events at Rock Creek. While there isn't a walk scheduled at the Park in the near future, you can see what walks are coming up on our Calendar and make sure to check out the new downloadable Tree Walks section of our website. Or, craft your own tree walk and explore all the arboreal offerings throughout Rock Creek Park. It is open daily during daylight hours, so take advantage of the late sunsets sometime this summer with an outing in the park.

Downloadable Tree Maps are a Walk in the Park

Take a break from your regular walk route this summer with our free self-guided tree walks! New downloadable tree walks will be added to our website monthly, providing you with a fun and easy way to learn more about the District’s urban canopy.

Each downloadable tree walk features a map of the various trees at a popular location in D.C. This month, we are featuring tree maps of the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land. Touring the trees at these beautiful locations is easy. Just print up our map to use as a reference as you explore the site at your own pace.

Our downloadable tree walks for the month of July. Click on the image for the full map.

Each map features:

• An introduction to the site
• Locations of the site’s notable trees
• The scientific and common name of each tree
• The identifying characteristics of each featured species
• A walking rating that defines the level of difficulty, ADA accessibility, distance and estimated walking time 

Our downloadable tree walks allow you to stroll great tree spots around the District on your own time, at your own pace. But don’t forget: Casey Trees still offers tree walks in person at various locations around the District, so be sure to check our calendar for upcoming docent-led tours. Also check out our blog posts on other great summer spots in D.C.!

A sculpture and notable tree at the NGA Sculpture Garden. 

Summer Tree Spots: Tudor Place

The house and front lawn at Tudor Place.

We’re all familiar with the big-time historical attractions in D.C. They’re magnificent, of course, but the monuments, the Mall and the museums can cast a large shadow over less-visited spots in the District that deserve some limelight.

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden offers the perfect pause from mainstream D.C. sightseeing. Overlooking Georgetown at 1644 31st Street Northwest, Tudor Place is home to a beautiful garden, a historical museum and - of course - various kinds of trees. About two-thirds of the property is shaded by a diverse tree canopy, which houses species such as kobus magnolia, yellow buckeye, Kentucky coffee-tree, Normann fir and more.

The massive tulip poplar tree on the southeast grounds.

The estate used to be the home of Martha Washington’s granddaughter Martha Curtis Peter and remained in the family from 1816 until 1983. Tudor Place is now open for public viewing Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Take time this summer to check out all that Tudor Place has to offer!

During your visit, don’t miss:

• The 100+ personal objects that belonged to George and Martha Washington, including one of the two known surviving letters from George Washington to Martha.
• A large scarlet oak tree on the north side. The oak was planted in 1932 to commemorate George Washington’s would-be 200th birthday.
• A tulip poplar that was deemed D.C.’s Millennium Tree, located on the south side of the estate.
• A large pecan tree that Casey Trees named the champion of its species in 2006.
• Our trees! Casey Trees planted 26 young trees at Tudor Place during two Community Tree Planting events, one last October and the other this past April. Visit our plantings map and zoom in on 1644 31st Street for species and locations.

Volunteers plant with Casey Trees at Tudor Place in October. See our Flickr page for more photos.

Tudor Place is about a 25-minute walk from Dupont Circle Station on the Red Line. Buses 32, 36 and the Georgetown-Union Station Circulator also serve Wisconsin Avenue nearby. Admission for a docent-led house tour and a self-guided garden tour is $8.00 Admission for the self-guided garden tour only is $3.00.

Capitol Grounds Tree Walk Recap

This weekend, ten participants braved the downtown Race for the Cure crowds to come out to our Capitol Ground Tree Walk. Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City of Trees: The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, D.C. led the Saturday morning walk.

Melanie Choukas-Bradley shows the group how a leaf can help identify a tree

The walk began at the Botanic Gardens and ended with a contest to guess the size of a large willow oak tree (Quercus phellos) on the Capitol lawn. Along the way, Melanie introduced over 15 trees around the Capitol grounds. A wide range of tree types were represented, including native trees such as the Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and non-native trees such as the Silver Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica). “D.C. is a great place to learn about non-native trees,” Melanie told the group. “You can travel to other places in the world and usually find a tree you’ll recognize.” 

One of the tree walk’s highlights was a bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) near the corner of First Street Northwest and Maryland Ave Southwest. The tree is one of the oldest oaks in the District. It is also a citizen-nominated Tree of Note and can be seen on the Casey Trees Map.

A view of the Capitol on the tree walk.

Casey Trees' Urban Forestry Instructor Shawn Walker said the dedicated participants "could not get enough."  So even though the walk was scheduled to end at noon, the group decided to stick around for an extra two hours to learn more about the history of the trees, their fruits, and ways to identify them. Melanie pointed out that though tree guide books can help identify species, the differing leaves and bark can get confusing. The only way to really hone your identifying skills is by exploring trees with an expert. And what better way to do that than participate in a tree walk?

Casey Trees' staff member Scott Brown inspects a shingle oak's budding acorns.
View all the photos from this event on Flickr.

You can sign up here for the next Tree Walk, which will take place on July 23 at Tudor Place. Don’t forget to check our summer tree classes as well! A full event calendar can be viewed here.

CASEY TREES GIVE THANKS

Contributing Writer - Sue Erhardt, Director of Education

We have all heard that it is better to give than to receive. Casey Trees has had the great fortune to be on the receiving end of people’s time and hard work this year.

It has been Casey Trees privilege to have welcomed over 1700 Citizen Foresters and volunteers over this past year. These dedicated individuals have helped us plant and care for trees all over the District. I would like to thank them for donating over 5300 hours of their precious time to help us advance our Urban Tree Canopy Goal of 40 percent by 2035.


I would also like to highlight the 11 schools that invited Casey Trees to their campuses to plant trees with their students. Schools have different reasons for plantings trees. Sometimes they plant trees for beautification, sometimes they want to incorporate the trees in a science or environmental project, and sometimes reasons can be a combination of both.


The Latin American Montessori Bi-cultural School (LAMB) wanted to plant trees with different leaf shapes to help their students learn about shapes and sizes. For most of the 500 LAMB students this was their first experience planting a tree. It is a great experience to help children feel a sense of accomplishment, and to show them what working together can accomplish. It is truly a powerful experience.

Just below are just two of the many thank you notes we received from LAMB School students following our tree planting with them.

If you like to join the group of selfless people who have chosen to be the change in the District go to www.caseytrees.org and sign up for a class or a monthly Tree Walk.

IN THE NEWS: CASEY TREES' TREE WALKS

Did you see it? Did you see it?

Casey Trees' Tree Walks were profiled in the Washington Post's Weekend Edition. Not too shabby.

The next Tree Walk will highlight trees in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood and be a featured part of Cultural Tourism DC's fall WalkingTown, DC weekend event on September, 19 and 20, 2009 (10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.) and (10:00 a.m.) respectively. Not only will there will be three tours instead of just one, they will also all be free.

If you have been on the fence about signing up for a Tree Walk in the past this is the perfect opportunity to try us out. All you have to do is sign up. Registration for this special event will be done through Cultural Tourism.

Once you've been to one Tree Walk, you'll want to do each one that comes your way including the Frederick Douglass Home and Grounds in October and the National Arboretum's Gotelli Collection of Dwarf and Slow-Growing Conifers in November. To learn more about these and other programs and classes, click here.

INTERN BUZZ - WEEK 2

Contributing Writer - Jaine Hernandez, Intern

As part of my internship with Casey trees I have learned a great deal about how to properly protect and care for a tree. Just like people, trees can get sick, require protection - mulch and stakes can help a lot- and they need water to stay alive (20-25 gallons a week in fact).

Before I became an intern I did not fully appreciate the importance and value of trees. Now I understand how trees help clean the air, mitigate storm water runoff, produce oxygen, and even alleviate stress. The latter I am very familiar with and thankful for. Whenever I work with trees, I feel much more relaxed.

This past week - week two of the internship - we focused on mulching newly planted trees primarily in the mornings to “beat the heat”. I love this part because we get to travel all around the City on the bikes provided for the Water By-Cycle program - nothing is every repetitive.









My favorite part of the week was the tree walk in Rock Creek Park. With the help of Jim Woodworth, Director of Tree Planting, we identified several different tree species including the two most common species in the park, the American beech and oak. We even saw creeks and deer. Looking at the trees made me think a lot about how trees in the forest are different from city trees. The trees out in the forest are more competitive for water and light than the city trees, yet city trees have more risks with cars pollution and miscarriage by people. Being a Casey Trees intern has helped me to genuinely appreciate nature.

I also just have to say that I love my fellow interns. We have lots of fun helping to care for trees.

BLOG PLAUSE - AND NOW, ANACOSTIA

On Saturday, April 18, Casey Trees will helping re-tree historic Anacostia as part of our Earth Day-Week festivities.

It's great to see the Anacostia neighborhood really rally around this planting as shown in the And Now, Anacostia blog. If you are interested in helping to plant - there are 30 trees scheduled to be planted - click here to register.

For those of you looking for an alternative way of celebrating Earth Day consider joining our Tree Walk along the grounds of Ceder Hill, the home of Frederick Douglass. The walk will be led by City of Trees author Melanie Choukas-Bradley and include a tour of the home. Learn more here.