Meet the Crew

We want to know you, and we hope you want to know us. In order to make that happen, we’re going to be introducing you to our staff throughout the year. Without further ado, we’d like you to meet Katie.

Name: Katie Heffernan

Position: Arborist-Auditor

Starting date: 3/14/2011

Hometown: Washington, DC!

Radio station you best like for riding around in the work truck:
I’m into most things old-time, old-style… even obscure? I find that sort of thing on my station standbys – 89.3 WPFW and 88.5 WAMU. I’ve also been catching some good bluegrass tunes on 105.5 lately.

What brought you to Casey Trees?
I went online to sign up for a class or a volunteer event and found out about the job opening at the same time! My plant past includes working on the garden staff at the US National Arboretum, studying landscape design at George Washington University, gardening of various kinds, and a strong interest in urban greening.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
It’s a good fit for me in so many ways it’s hard to say! I love being outside and being physical so much of the time – be it riding my bike to meet and consult with homeowners or helping out at the tree plantings. Getting to meet lots of people – from homeowners to volunteers – is also fun for me.

What do you do for the RiverSmart Homes program and what are the benefits of the program?
RiverSmart Homes is a phenomenal program that helps homeowners install various improvements to their homes – rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable pavers and more – all of which help address D.C.’s stormwater issues. Shade trees are also included in the program because they take up stormwater with their roots and have tons of other great benefits – shade and beauty being just two.
As the program’s Arborist-Auditor, I meet with participating homeowners on-site to talk trees – choosing the right species, determining the best placement, discussing best care practices and then arranging for the planting to happen. The tree portion of the RiverSmart Homes program is fantastic in that homeowners get professional support throughout the process. The trees are healthy, sizable and native – and are planted for homeowners by our knowledgeable and experienced planting crew.

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