Water By-Cycle Update

Contributing writer - Neil Irvin, Water By-Cycle Crew Chief

We are now in the sixth week of the Summer Crew's Water By-Cycle program. Being a bike crew chief is both strenuous and rewarding. I love riding a bicycle but pulling a trailer with 250 feet of hose and various tree care equipment along the streets of D.C. in the summer can be a bit taxing. However, by mapping out our routes in advance we ensure we reach the greatest number of trees possible in the most efficient manner.

My crew consists of high school students who have an excellent work ethic, a love for trees and genuine desire to beautify the nation's capital. While they are caring for D.C.'s trees, they are also developing valuable professional development skills and becoming excellent communicators. I lead by example and explain things thoroughly so they can take ownership of their work.

Being a part of the bike watering crew has given me a chance to see different parts of the District, learn proper tree care and work with a great team of people. Most importantly my work is part of a greater mission - protecting D.C.'s trees. When the sun is shining and the breeze is flowing, I am reminded of how lucky I am to help lead the Casey Trees Water By-Cycle team. Our bike crew is looking forward to far surpassing our watering goals!

Revolution Cycles Keeps Water By-Cycle Program Rolling

Casey Trees’ success in re-treeing D.C. is largely due to volunteer support. Each year, thousands of youth and adults donate their time and talents to plant and care for trees across the District. We are also fortunate to have individuals, businesses and foundations who support our programs and initiatives with generous financial and in-kind gifts. These gifts are especially meaningful when they come at a time of great need. Clarendon-based Revolution Cycles is one such partner who recently came to our aid.

When a street bike from our Water By-Cycle (WBC) fleet was stolen, Revolution Cycles stepped forward and donated a new Trek 700 7-speed street bike for our use. The donation of the bike meant our Summer Crew could continue caring for trees in parts of the city difficult to navigate by truck. Because of Revolution Cycles, our WBC team has "touched" more than 1,875 trees since June 22. By the end of the session, we expect the WBC fleet to have watered, weeded and mulched more than 2,600 trees. We thank Revolution Cycles for its donation, valuing our mission and helping to establish a green legacy in the District.

Our new Trek 700. Thanks!

Do you share Revolution Cycles’ philanthropic spirit? Consider sponsoring a fall Community Tree Planting event, making a financial or in-kind (product or service) donation or volunteering at an upcoming event.

High School Summer Crew Season Begins Today

Contributing Writer: Priscilla Bocskor, Education Coordinator

Today is the start of our 2011 High School Summer Crew! This is the 10th year of Casey Trees High School Summer Crew where 10 local students age 16 and older work for eight weeks over the summer. Our crew members were selected from many highly qualified students who applied, interviewed and attended our Field Try Out. We were fortunate to have over 100 applicants for the positions and we are really excited about this year's group.

Summer Crew, Class of 2011

The main duty of the summer crew students will be to water, weed and mulch trees Casey Trees has planted in the past three years. Newly planted trees in the stressed urban environment need extra care to become established. These trees need 1.5 inches of rain a week or 25 gallons of water to develop healthy root systems.

Six of the Summer Crew Students will be traveling around D.C. performing maintenance in trucks while four of the students, along with two Casey Trees staffers, will make up the Casey Trees Water-By-Cycle team. The Water-By-Cycle team will bike around D.C. in order to reach their designated maintenance sites.

In addition to this work, the Summer Crew students will have a chance to participate in four Career Development Days. These Career Development Days are rewards for meeting their tree touch goals (every time the students visit a tree to water, weed, or mulch counts as one tree touch). Students will have to work closely and effectively together to reach these goals. The Development Days include planting elm trees at Dangerfield Island, learning to climb trees at the National Arboretum and doing a tree identification scavenger hunt at the National Zoo.

Watering trees next to the Casey Trees office.

The 10 Summer Crew students will each be writing a blog post about their experiences so check back to read all about it. We will also have posts from Casey Trees staff about Summer Crew and Water By-Cycle. Keep a look out - you might just see the Summer Crew hard at work in your neck of the woods this summer!

View more photos of the Summer Crew's first day on Flickr.

SUMMER CREW UPDATE #10

Contributing Writer - Dylan Oliver, Summer Crew Team Member

Hi my name is Dylan and I’m part of Casey Trees' Water By-Cycle crew.

All summer long we have been watering trees by accessing fire hydrants. It's hard work but I have really enjoyed it. Along with our everyday tasks of watering, mulching and weeding trees, we have participated in four career development days. These hands on exercises have taught me many interesting things about trees and careers related to arboriculture.

Our first professional development day was at the U.S. National Park Service's American elm nursery on Dangerfield Island. Just one person - Barry Stahl - raises the American elms that get planted across the District. It was a fun day and it was cool to see elm trees at different stages in their maturation process.

For two weeks after, we watered trees. Since I am on the Water By-Cycle crew I got to work on my biking skills which is always fun. I also began to feel like I was getting into better shape.

Our next career development day focused on learning how to incorporate trees into the built environment using innovate tree space design. It was pretty interesting to see how smart but practical design can help trees grow better in urban environments.

After three weeks of intense biking/watering in extreme heat, we participated in my favorite professional development day, tree climbing with staff from The Davey Tree Expert Company.

For this event we went to the U.S. National Arboretum. Tree climbing is the fun part of an important job. Davey staff regularly climbs trees to prune and inspect tall trees.

Our last professional development day was a scavenger hunt at the National Zoo. Using GIS and other instruments, we located specific trees around the zoo and recorded data about each tree's health and size. This was pretty interesting and I learned the names of a lot of different trees.

SUMMER CREW UPDATE #2

Contributing Writer - Marshall Lockyer Leland, Summer Crew Team Member

When I think back on my past week with Casey Trees, adjectives such as hardworking, fun and fulfilling pop into my mind.

To begin with, Casey Trees is not a lax organization. They have a strong mission statement and each day they push us to do the best that we can. Thus far, the Summer Crew has surpassed all expectations and hope to continue to do so.

My favorite experience from last week was visiting the U.S. National Park Service's American elm nursery on Dangerfield Island. This experience taught me a lot about the American elm and gave me the chance to plant trees for the first time.

We also had ample time to ask questions about different tree species and illnesses. One of the many interesting facts I learned was that Dutch Elm Disease (DED) killed hundreds of thousands of American elms across the country and that the cultivars planted today are much more resistant to DED.

The trip to Dangerfield Island was also very fulfilling because the American elms planted there ultimately make it onto the National Mall. I found it very cool to think that in five or so years, one of the trees that I potted or planted may end up at one of the most famous places in America.

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This past week I also joined the Water By-Cycle crew which was something I really wanted to do. It is amazingly fun and each day I come home feeling fit, healthy and satisfactorily sore. On average we work in two Wards a day and bike for approximately two hours. The rest of the time is devoted to watering and weeding trees.

My two colleagues, Sean and Dylan, are great guys and Adam, the Bicycle Crew Captain, is awesome. With their company and jokes the hours fly by making each day that much better.

SUMMER CREW UPDATE #1

So, it has begun. We are one week into our eight-week Summer Crew program dedicated to the watering and care of the District's trees.

We began our week with a general orientation, introduction to Casey Trees and a discussion on why restoring the District's tree canopy is so important. We also had the opportunity to meet all of the staff at Casey Trees.

Since we are in our sixth straight month of below average precipitation, our job of watering and mulching trees is especially important. By the end of our time at Casey Trees we will have completed 2500 waterings. We started off strong this week, watering hundreds of trees a day.


As one-fourth of the Water By-Cycle team, I have had many new experiences. I have ridden my bike from the yard in Brookland to the southernmost tip of DC and back. I have had three different fire hydrants spray me in the face, two of which that blew their caps off in the process.
I have been taught that weeding trees is not just about aesthetics (weeds can soak up quick summer showers, depriving young saplings of much needed water). This job has given me a completely different perspective on urban forestry.

What I have realized is that our job is not just about keeping mulch away from the base of trees or making sure it is weed-free. Our job is about helping to make the District a better place to live, work and play and we intend to do that.

Summer Crew Starts Today

Casey Trees' High School Summer Crew takes to the streets for the first time today, kicking off an eight-week adventure of tree care and professional development. This year's crew is a diverse group of 11 high school students from the D.C. metro area. Selected from more than 100 applicants, the 2010 summer crew contains some of the area's most promising young leaders.

The summer crew will be responsible for tree stewardship activities for the next eight weeks. Tree care — watering, weeding, mulching, and pruning — is their primary responsibility. Interspersed throughout the summer will be activities in which the crew will learn about career opportunities in arboriculture.

These activities include:

• Climbing giant oaks at the National Arboretum
• Planting elms on Daingerfield Island with the National Park Service
• Tree Space Design training with the Casey Trees director of Planning and Design
• A GIS mapping tools exercise at the National Zoo

While most of the crew will travel in trucks, three will be on two wheels. Casey Trees' Water By-Cycle, the nation's first bicycle-powered program to water and care for a city's trees, is back in action this year. Led by an adult Casey Trees employee, the Water By-Cycle crew uses pedal power to get around the city. This enables them to travel faster, avoid traffic snarls and not worry about looking for parking spaces. The crew accesses water from D.C. fire hydrants with permission from DC Water. Casey Trees pays for the water used. Along with tree care and career opportunities, the Casey Trees summer crew will also learn job responsibility. This is the first job for some of the crew members, and the teamwork and leadership skills they learn will serve them well in the future.

Summer crew member Cartrell Williams, a senior at Spingarn High School in Ward 5, probably put it best when he said: “My hope is that together, we can make the community a better place. I believe this project will not only help me, but I will also take pride in knowing I can help the environment."

In the coming weeks, each crew member will write a blog post chronicling their summer experiences. In the meantime, check out their bios on the Casey Trees website.

HOT HOT HOT; WATER WATER WATER

Whew – it’s hot! I know you are all too aware of this. But it is not only very hot – it is very dry. And that spells trouble for trees.

Here at Casey Trees, we believe it is important to not only plant trees but also to care for them. And watering during very hot, dry spells is one of the most important things we can do for trees.

In order to keep you informed, we have created a Tree Watering Guide. Each week on Monday, we issue a watering recommendation. The recommendation is based on a number of sources, primarily from the National Weather Service and the U.S Geological Survey.

These sources tell us that we are in our sixth straight month of below average precipitation and that we are presently 17.5 inches below average since the end of November. For the period of the past seven days, the entire DC metro area is greater than 75 percent below average precipitation.

Beginning next Monday, our High School Summer Crew will go to work watering trees planted by Casey Trees and our volunteers. Our Water By-Cycle Team, along with two additional Summer Crew teams, will visit these trees with supplemental watering over the summer. But DC is a big city and there are many, many trees. We need your help!

As we enter the 90 and (it seems inevitable) 100 degree days of summer, trees will show signs of water stress. And just as we cannot go without water for extended periods and then drink a lot of gallons at once to catch up, neither can trees go long without adequate soil moisture.

Please help us keep DC’s trees alive by:

• Following the Tree Watering Guide weekly. It is posted on our home page, Facebook account and on Twitter Feed
• Practice 25 to Stay Alive - give your trees the recommended 25 gallons of water per week during dry times
• Pledge to water your trees and get a Casey Trees rain gauge to help you monitor rainfall at your home
• Contact Casey Trees to get a free 25-gallon Ooze Tube drip irrigation bag to provide slow-release watering to your tree.

Thanks for helping us tree DC!

INTERN BUZZ - WEEK 7

Contributing Writer - Nina Shallal, Intern

We are in the final weeks of the internship and all the interns are beginning to acknowledge this somber fact by exchanging phone number and promises to stay in touch. Otherwise we are continuing to work in the field, maintaining Casey Trees-planted trees and helping with the Urban Forest Effects and Values (UFORE) Inventory.

On Tuesday we visited the U.S. National Arboretum to learn about the Urban Forestry examination and what it is like to work at the Arboretum. We also went on a tour of the Youth Garden which was filled with beautiful flowers and fruits, many of which we had never seen before. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to give us amazing detail about each plant and fruit being grown. We were even lucky enough to taste some of the organically grown strawberries.

After our tour we created an accessible path around the Youth Garden using custom wood chips. We were thankful that the wood chips were several pounds lighter than the mulch we have been working with everyday. However, after an hour we began to feel the burn. Once the walkway was complete - four hours later - we explored the Asian tree collection which was unbelievable. When the day finally came to an end, we were all exhausted.

For the rest of the week it was business as usual with the exception of Thursday when Casey Trees hosted a press conference for the launch of the Water By-Cycle.

We are extremely proud of the work we have done thus far and look forward to the homestretch.

THE WHEELS ON THE BIKE GO ROUND AND ROUND

Contributing Writer - Karja Hansen, Bike Crew Captain

The Casey Trees Water By-Cycle crew has made tremendous strides these past two weeks Jonathan, one of our summer interns who started out never having ridden a bicycle, experienced his first full day of caring for trees by bicycle, riding over 9 miles and watering over 30 trees on Capitol Hill and in Eastern Market. He was awesome and biked like a champ.

The following day our crew worked downtown along Massachusetts Avenue caring for trees that have not been adopted by any person or business in the neighborhood. If you call our office we will happily tell you where trees still need to be adopted and how to properly water them. We spent a lot of time watering these newly planted trees and were rewarded with bright green leaf buds the following week.

This past Thursday, Casey Trees officially launched the Water By-Cycle at Samuel Gompers Park after weeks of successful trial runs. We we’re interview by Patrick Madden from WAMU, (see above) and Mike Galvin christened the trailer and its brand new signs with a bottle of Sports Drink – poured, not broken. Casey Trees does not litter!

While the summer is coming to an end, the Water By-Cycle is still making its rounds. Be sure to say hello or ask a question about tree care or how you can get involved with Casey Trees.

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.

INTERN BUZZ - WEEK 1

Contributing Writer - Alex Reade, Urban Forestry Intern

Casey Trees' Summer Internship got off to a great star last week. We managed to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

Day 1 served as an introduction to the internship. After we played a few icebreakers to get to know our fellow interns and staff members better, we heard from various crew chiefs and directors of Casey Trees. We got a chance to further learn about what Casey Trees does and the mission of Casey Trees, which is to restore, enhance and protect the tree canopy of Washington DC. After this, we went on a short tree walk through downtown and learned about the different types of trees that can be found in that area. After the first day we all were very much looking forward to the rest of the summer.


Day 2 started off with an introduction to the various tools and safety equipment that we would be using during the summer and then a lesson on how to properly care for a tree, which includes weeding, mulching, and watering. For the rest of the day, we took care of the trees in the Tenleytown area. A group tree maintenance competition between the interns added some excitement to the task.


Day 3 was bike training day. We started the day by having a certified bike riding educator come speak to us about riding bikes in the city and bike safety in general. This information was important because we will be riding bikes while maintaining trees downtown this summer, which is something new that Casey Trees has added to the internship. After this we learned how to maintain the bikes that we will be using. We learned how to check the brakes and the gears, and how to change a flat tire. I am sure that all of those things will come in handy while we are riding bikes downtown this summer.

Day 4 included prepping the truck for the next day's stewardship event and a walking tour of the Brookland neighborhood. We visited a few of the historic houses in the area and then the Franciscan Monastery. Following lunch we heard from Dr. Tony Mucciardi, who developed the Tree Radar Unit (TRU), a device that can scan the inside of a tree in order to determine the health of the tree without having to do an invasive procedure.


Day 5 featured the first stewardship event of the summer - Rock Creek Church Cemetery at St. Paul ‘s Rock Creek. Approximately 15 volunteers helped us care for the newly planted trees. Luckily the heat hadn’t really hit at that point in the morning so we were all able to work pretty comfortably. Remarkably we completed the work in only a couple of hours so we ended the day with a tree walk on the cemetery grounds. It was just full of magnificent trees.

Overall, it was a very productive first week and I think we’re all very excited for the next seven weeks.

Water By-Cycle Preview

Guest Contributor - Karja Hansen, Bike Crew Chief

Three weeks ago I came on board as Casey Trees Water By-Cycle Bike Crew Chief and the experience thus far has been astounding. Thanks to amazing support from Casey Trees staff, volunteers and partners we now have a fully operational bike shop, a fleet of 10 quality bicycles, and a trailer capable of hauling 300 pounds of tree care equipment.

Before the Water By-Cycle program fully launches, we are coordinating bike watering routes, teaching our interns bicycle safety, and having them practice street biking.

On Friday, two of our interns - Jonathan and Heydi - and I spent the afternoon working on bicycling basics. Within two hours, Jonathan went from never having ridden a bike to successfully riding 100 feet and executing a controlled stop and dismount. Heydi’s enthusiasm and persistence was awesome. By the end of the lesson, Heydi was riding uphill from a dead stop, braking and cornering with the best of them.

There is nothing like personal accomplishment.

On Monday, two more interns - Waaiz and Nina - and I embarked on the inaugural bike test run, riding eight miles and watering trees at eight planting locations. Despite Waaiz and Nina having minimal street biking experience, both maintained confident and safe riding positions throughout the entire day – all with big grins on their faces. Beyond having a successful introduction to street biking, Nina caught a strangling tie on a tree's root collar and Waaiz kept everyone laughing all afternoon.

I have no doubt that the Water By-Cycle program will be a successful addition to Casey Trees tree planting and education initiatives and I am looking forward to the rest of the summer.

Check back here often for more Water By-Cycle adventures and to find out when the bike fleet will be officially unveiled. Tomorrow also begins our Wednesday Intern Blog Posts - Alex Reade is up first.

CASEY TREES GOES MOBILE

You won't see us doing wheelies, jumps or stunts but Casey Trees is going two-wheelin' as of this summer.

Casey Trees, well-known for launching innovative initiatives advancing urban forestry such the Annual Tree Report Card, Urban Tree Canopy Goal (40 percent by 2035), and the Casey Trees Map, is rolling out another one this summer - bicycle-mounted tree stewards.

Led by a Bicycle Crew Chief, Casey Trees High School Urban Forestry Summer Interns will be watering trees by bike - primarily in downtown DC. All bike stewards will be outfitted with helmets and be properly trained in bicycle safety and laws.

We strongly believe the bicycle crew pilot project has enormous potential.

First and foremost, bike tree stewards will allow Casey Trees to water trees with greater efficiency - no more fighting traffic, trying to locate street parking, etc. Second, our bicycle-mounted signage will remind pedestrians and drivers to water their trees especially during the hot summer months. Third, Casey Trees will become even more environmentally responsible. The bonus - Casey Trees will have some seriously fit staff and interns.

The industrial bike-trailer (preliminary design mockup above) to haul safety cones, hoses and the such is already ordered - now we just need a fleet of bikes for the interns to ride.

If you have an extra bike laying around, consider donating it to Casey Trees. We will put it to good use. Send a picture or description of the bike(s) to mfried@caseytrees.org and we will be in touch. We will even pick it up.

With your help, you will soon see a fancier version of the below hitting the streets of DC.