THE LEAFLET

Each year on Arbor Day, Casey Trees releases our Tree Report Card, which measures the quantity and condition of DC’s trees and the collective efforts of all groups and individuals working to achieve the District’s 40 percent tree canopy goal. At its heart, the Tree Report Card is a benchmark to measure the previous year’s efforts and see what areas we and others working to re-tree DC can improve on.

The only independent assessment of DC’s trees on both public and private lands, the Tree Report Card was released on Arbor Day and gave the nation’s capital an A for 2020!

After a dip in 2019, we are excited that the District is back to receiving its highest grade! The overall grade given is a combination of four metrics:

Tree Coverage (A) | Tree Health (B-) | Tree Planting (A+) | Tree Protection (A)

Ultimately this Tree Report Card is a celebration of our efforts and a call to action to cement our legacy. By any measure, 20 years is a long time, and that is the number of years Casey Trees has been fulfilling its mission: “To restore, enhance and protect the tree canopy of our nation’s capital.” However, in the life of a tree, 20 years is just the start. In fact, most trees planted 20 years ago are in the prime of their youth, just starting to shade the ground beneath them and beautify their surrounding neighborhoods. To encourage the establishment and protection of these priceless Heritage trees, we encourage an expansion and strengthening of the Urban Forest Preservation Act.

The 2020 Tree Report Card is dedicated to the vision and generosity of Mrs. Casey and the hard work of our staff, board, and supporters. We are particularly indebted to our local partners, DDOT’s Urban Forestry Division, Department of Energy and Environment, Mayor Muriel Bowser, our elected officials, and our unflappable volunteer force. This team of champions has not only helped plant tens of thousands of trees, but just as important, they helped create and support a legal and administrative framework to ensure our collective long-term success at achieving and maintaining DC’s moniker: the City of Trees.

The full Tree Report Card can be found on our website. Help us build a legacy of large, mature canopy trees – plant a canopy tree (for free!) that will continue to shade Washingtonians for generations.