THE LEAFLET

Dear Friends:

I hope this note finds you and your family and friends safe.

Like for most of you no doubt, the past six or so weeks have been a blur. First there was the uncertainty, the concern, moments of panic, acceptance, and now – well – doing everything one can to stay safe and carry on. All of us here at Casey Trees sorely miss the interaction with you – our friends and supporters, but despite that absence, there are still many things to celebrate.

We always have and will continue to manage our resources with extreme care. Due to that simple fact, we are well positioned to weather this pandemic and any other storm that may be on the horizon. As soon as it is prudent to do so we will pick up where we left off with our community events and engagement. And when that day comes, be it this fall or next spring, we look forward to seeing all of you again in person.

While our spring planting season was significantly condensed, our dedicated field crew worked safely – largely in “teams” of one – planting over 1,000 trees throughout the city. In an interesting twist, perhaps due to people sheltering in place, we have received a high volume of requests for tree plantings. That, coupled with the trees we did not plant this spring, means that this coming fall is shaping up to be an exceptional season.

Launched last Friday, our annual Tree Report Card showed that the state of the District’s trees remains strong. There still remains more work to do. Overall however, with your steadfast support, progress toward the goal continues.

Our first on-line webinar, Your City, Your Trees was attended by 300 people – no doubt some of you. Perhaps most striking, over a third of all participants were new to Casey Trees, showing that even in this age of limited mobility, our message continues to resonate and attract those who wish to support our work.  Building off this success, a series of on-line classes and webinars has been planned, and the schedule will be sent out shortly.

Some of you may also have participated and supported our mission in the Earth Day 5K with our local friends and partners, Little Sesame. Over 750 people ran, some of them from around the globe including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Turkey, Australia, Finland and the United Kingdom.

While times are challenging, the energy and ideas of Casey Trees and our city remain as creative and strong as ever. And of special note, the support we continue to see from you – our friends and partners – continues undiminished.

On behalf of everyone here at Casey Trees, thank you.