THE LEAFLET

July 19, 2021 /
Italia Peretti

Allow Us To Reintroduce: Reid Kemp

We are thrilled to announce that Reid Kemp has been promoted to General Manager of Casey Tree Farm. Reid has been with Casey Trees for seven years, and throughout that time, he has been an integral part of our team, even night farming to help the trees beat the summer heat. Of particular note, he has helped us transition during the startup stages of the farm, planting only hundreds of trees to where we are today with over 30,000 trees! Reid is busy out in the field getting our trees ready to plant in the fall, but we were able to ask a few questions: 

Casey Trees (CT): What is the coolest part of your job?
Reid Kemp (RK): Growing is rewarding; it’s fun watching trees develop on the farm and ultimately find their new place in DC. We have the opportunity to see our work create a difference and identify our little tree babies around the city.  

CT: What are you looking forward to the most about your new position?
RK: Above all, encouraging new team members on the farm and being a part of their development is the most rewarding aspect of the job. There aren’t many tree farmers in the world, and even though everybody has some experience, tree farming is a unique job. Watching co-workers invest their efforts into a crop is more fun than watching the trees grow.  

CT: What is your favorite tree and why?
RK: It’s hard to identify one favorite tree; my nostalgic favorites are Live Oak and Tulip poplar.  My recent excitement is finding hickory groves; knowing how slow-growing they are and taking up to 10 years before producing their first seed tells me we should be careful to protect them.

Once again, congratulations Reid! If you are interested in working at the farm or know someone who could be a good fit, check out our open position here.