Tree planting with Casey Trees

tree planting with Casey Trees, originally uploaded by zannect.

Back when I was researching DC, I heard about an organization called Casey Trees. Their mission is to restore the tree canopy of Washington. Apparently DC used to be called the City of Trees, but during the 1960s and 70s, the city lost 65% of the tree cover due to neglect. In 1999, a philanthropist named Betty Brown Casey gave a generous donation to start the organization. Since 2001 they have planted over 7,000 trees. The organization leads tree walks, teaches classes, gives high school kids summer jobs, and helps DC residents plant trees. It's really cool. They will help homeowners pick the right trees for their land, and help them plant the trees; they'll help community groups green their neighborhood; and they assist the city with planting and care of city trees. Last week I took a two-evening class about trees, and then Saturday morning I went with a group to plant 30 trees in Oxon Run park in SE DC. The training means that I can assist and help organize new volunteers at tree plantings that are held every weekend in the spring and the fall.

I planted two trees with a small group of other people. It was quite a lot of fun! We planted white swamp oak (above), sweet gum trees, and a few others. It was a gorgeous spring day and spending the morning outside with a visible end result was really satisfying. The other volunteers and the staff were an eclectic group of really nice folks, a mix of long-time DC residents, other newcomers, and an intern from Finland. I'll be volunteering with Casey Trees throughout the spring planting season, and then I hope to again in the fall.

Growing up as I did in a much more rural area, and in a house with a yard full of amazing trees, I've always felt like there was something missing in the cities I've lived in. One of my major complaints about NYC was how much I missed being around trees. It's really neat to be helping plant trees in my new city, and it makes me so much more aware of the trees that are already here.

ps--I took that photo with my phone! The quality is much better than I expected.