CASEY TREES TO HOST TREE SUMMIT

Next month on Thursday, March 25, 2010 Casey Trees will host the nation's first Tree Summit right here in Washington, DC. With no travel costs for you locals how can you not attend?

The Tree Summit will focus on the condition of the District's existing Urban Tree Canopy and potential strategies to increase the canopy from 35 to 40 percent by 2035.

A multi-disciplinary group of researchers and professionals from federal, regional and local government and other communities involved in setting and implementing tree canopy goals as well as stakeholders from grassroots and community groups are confirmed to speak.

To view the schedule and topics, click here.

For arborists the Tree Summit qualifies for up to 6.25 Continuing Education Units for Arborists, Municipal Specialists and BCMAs (Management) and 6.0 Continuing Forestry Education credits in Category 1-CF.

Event details:

Tree Summit

Thursday, March 25, 2010 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
777 North Capitol Street NE
Washington, DC 20002

$40.00 per person

Lunch and break service included
Advance registration is required; space is limited

To learn more or register, click here.

OH MY THAT IS A NOTEWORTHY TREE.

In April 2009, Casey Trees launched the Casey Trees Map, an interactive online tool to help users determine the existing Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) and planting opportunities for any address in the District and identify every tree Casey Trees has planted since 2003.

Just today in a soft launch we rolled out an enhanced version of Casey Trees Map featuring our new Trees of Note program and Add-A-Tree feature.

Trees of Note is a program that connects people to trees in the District deemed special because of their size, history and/or personal significance. Anyone can nominate or locate trees in three distinguished categories – Big Trees, Witness Trees and My Tree.

• Big Trees are those valued for their sheer size and eligible for nomination to the National Register of Big Trees. The Register lists 826 species of trees. So far DC only has one Champion Tree, located on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Can you find another?

• Witness Trees are trees present during a historical event or period. Frederick Douglass mentioned the White oak on his front lawn in his journal entries. Think of what that tree saw.

• My Trees are those with personal meaning. This can be a tree you think has the prettiest blossoms in your neighborhood or even one you got married under. If it is special to you, we want to know about it.

Trees in DC are nominated to the Trees of Note program using the new Casey Trees Map point and click Add-a-Tree feature. The Add-A-Tree feature also allows you to add trees to the Casey Trees Map that you have recently planted in the District. Trees that you add to the map will count towards the City’s Urban Tree Canopy Goal of 40 percent by 2035.

In spring 2010, we will add a new tool that will allow you to update or delete a tree’s information in the event the tree has been removed or misidentified.

Nominating or adding a tree is easy to do own your own but I’ll walk you through the basic steps.

• To start, go to www.caseytrees.org. The Casey Trees Map is found under Geographic Resources -> Interactive Maps.
  
• Simply hit the ENTER button on the opening screen. The second screen provides you with basic prompts including a PAGE HELP button. When you are ready, hit the CLOSE button.
• To nominate or add a new tree zoom in on the map using your mouse or the zoom tool in the left corner until the button at the top right of the map labeled ADD TREE fills in.
  
• Go ahead and click it. Next choose what type of tree you want to add. The button on the left is for trees you have planted, the one on the right is for the Trees of Note program.
  
• Scroll on the map to the approximate location you believe the tree is locate and click your mouse. A short form asking you a few questions about the tree will pop up immediately.
• Fill out the form to the best of your knowledge. If you do not know the genus or species, you may select OTHER from the drop down bar. You may also add a photo. The more information you provide the easier the tree will be to find and confirm.
• You're done!
  

What happens after you take the time to add a tree to the Casey Trees Map? A Casey Trees Citizen Verifier will visit the tree and confirm the information submitted. If the nominated tree is on private property the Citizen Verifier will arrange a time that is convenient for you to come out.

The District is much more than bricks and mortar. We hope the Casey Trees Map and Trees of Note program better connects you to the City’s trees, encourages you to visit the neighborhoods these trees are in and gets you to help protect and care for existing trees so we may have more Trees of Note in the future.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING BLUES? GIFT A COMMEMORATIVE TREE

The holiday season is upon us. I attempted to doing my shopping yesterday and was less than successful. Lines were long, shelves were a mess, I was overheated in my jacket, scarf, gloves and hat and nothing appealed to me. No one in my life needed a talking mounted bass fish or a snuggie.

Don't be like me. Save yourself the grief. As you begin to make your holiday shopping list, consider sponsoring a Commemorative Tree in recognition of someone as a gift instead of buying that reindeer sweater you are sure to buy in pure desperation.

By purchasing a Commemorative Tree you are not only buying a cool and interesting gift for someone you are also making the District a cleaner, healthier and more beautiful city and advancing our Urban Tree Canopy Goal of 40 percent by 2035. There are two Commemorative Tree options - a public or a private dedication.

At a public dedication, the tree is planted during a spring (March - May) or fall (Oct - Dec) Community Tree Planting. Volunteers can plant the tree for you or you can choose to plant the tree with the help of your friends, family, etc. and Casey Trees staff.

At a private dedication, you decide when, where and the species of tree to be planted (from a pre-approved list). All you need to do is ensure you have the permission of the property owner of where you want to plant the tree. As with the public dedication, you can choose to help plant the tree or have our crew do it for you. In addition to the tree planting, the recipient receives photos of the event and other commemorative items and the tree dedication is acknowledged online on the heavily trafficked Casey Trees Map.

So if you have been trying to come up with the perfect gift why not try giving that friend, loved one, boss, post man, your favorite barista, etc. something different and plant a tree in their honor.

Learn more about Commemorative Trees.

FALL IS TREE PLANTING SEASON

Casey Trees will plant over 350 trees at 22 locations spread across all eight Wards this fall as part of our Community Tree Planting program. Each planted tree will help the District meet its Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Goal of 40 percent, or 216,300 new trees, by 2035. That is a lot of trees.

Established in 2005, the CTP program provides tools, trees, and technical assistance to individuals and groups interested in adding trees - 10 or more - to apartment complexes, synagogues, churches, parks, and even private yards located in the District free of charge. Schools are eligible to request fewer trees.

The fall CTP schedule represents the most diverse collection of planting locations to date and includes a marina, cemetery, short-term shelter for young people, embassy, Fort Circle park, affordable apartment complex, traffic circle, university and five elementary schools. We are going to be busy and seeing all different parts of the City.

These trees are not going to plant themselves so we need your help. Sign up today and bring a friend. By introducing new folks to Casey Trees your are helping us to expand awareness about the important role trees play in making the District a more livable city.

Also think about submitting a CTP application. Requests received before November 30, 2009 are eligible for a spring (March - May) tree planting.

Click here to register and see you and soon.

SEPTEMBER IS HERE, SCHOOL IS IN

Contributing Writer - Mike Galvin, Deputy Director

It is that time of year again – back to teachers, back to books, and back to report cards. Bringing the report card home can be anxious time for students, but report cards are an important tool for the parents, the student, and the teachers to be able to measure progress and success.

Here at Casey Trees, we are also concerned about report cards. In spring 2009, Casey Trees launched the first annual Tree Report Card, the only independent evaluation of the District’s trees and tree canopy. As our mission is to restore, enhance, and protect the tree canopy of the Nation’s capital, knowing how that canopy is doing is very important to us. The first Tree Report Card yielded an overall “B” grade – not bad at all (something most students would be pleased to bring home). The Report Card did however identify some weak areas and areas for improvement.

In April of 2008, Mayor Fenty announced a Tree Canopy Cover goal for Washington, D.C. The goal is to have 40% of the land area of D.C covered with tree canopy by the year 2035. This will require the planting of 8,600 trees per year for 25 years.

It is pretty tough to cram for that kind of test. Please help D.C maintain a great grade for 2009 and volunteer to plant trees with us this fall. You can sign up for Tree Planting and Care events on our web site sign-up tool.

Thanks for helping us achieve our mission, and for helping DC’s tree canopy get a good grade for 2009. Good luck to all of our students as well; best wishes for success in the 2009-2010 school year.

NEW ONLINE TOOL - CASEY TREES MAP

Have you checked out the new Casey Trees Map yet? If not, brace yourself, it's pretty amazing.

The roll out of the Casey Trees Map accompanied the announcement of Casey Trees Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Goal of 40 percent by 2035 and features two interfaces - DC UTC and Casey Trees Tree Planting Maps.

The DC UTC Map allows individuals to determine the existing tree canopy and planting opportunities for any property or place in DC. The sample search above shows that while the majority of the property would not support any trees due to imperviousness (i.e. house blueprint, driveway, etc.), 28 percent would. By determining your property's planting potential, you can better identify how you can easily play role in re-greening your home, neighborhood and city.

The Casey Trees Tree Planting Map allows users to locate all 5,567 trees (and counting) Casey Trees has planted since 2003. You can search by address or place, tree species, and/or event planting name.

So give the Casey Trees Map a whirl and let us know what you think.

To learn more about the UTG Goal - 40 percent by 2035 - click here.

IN THE NEWS - CASEY TREES UTC GOAL

Be sure to visit caseytrees.org this Saturday, April 25 at 12 noon to learn more about the Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Goal, try out Casey Trees' new interactive UTC and tree finder maps, AND read up on the findings of the First Annual Tree Report Card.

To read the full Washington Business Journal article, click here.