THE LEAFLET

We celebrate urban forestry successes often at Casey Trees, from breaking our own records to District milestones. But while we often give a seasonal rundown of our numbers (trees planted, volunteers involved, trees cared for, etc) we realized that we missed an opportunity to see what our partner in crime, the Urban Forestry Division of DDOT is up to. So, without further ado, UFD by the Numbers!

If you need a reminder or primer on what exactly UFD is or what they do, check out our blog post, Getting To Know U(FD). If you like what you see, we recommend checking out their website for even more data goodies.

DDOT’s Urban Forestry Division (UFD) is the primary steward of Washington DC’s ~175,000 public trees and has a mission of keeping this resource healthy, safe, & growing. The Urban Forestry Division is working to fulfill the goals of Sustainable DC. 

Page 112 of the Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan states: 

 – Goal 2: Protect, restore, and expand land ecosystems, tree cover and green landscapes, creating an integrated District-wide ecosystem. 

 – Target: By 2032, cover 40% of the District with a healthy tree canopy in order to restore, protect, create, or improve 2,000 acres of critical land habitat.

 – Action 2.1: Plant 10,500 new trees citywide per year until 2032. (Short Term) 

Currently, there are 175,839 public trees – UFD planted 8,550 in fiscal year (FY) 2020 which is significantly more than the 7,861 trees they planted in FY 2019. The even better news? They’ve planted 8,624 in FY 2021 and that number is still growing!

But where did these over 8,500 trees go? Well, ask and you shall receive! They track that information too:

Being a tree steward isn’t just about planting though. Consistent care and maintenance are truly the surefire ways to ensure young trees establish properly and thrive. While DDOT relies on citizens to care for young street trees by watering, they also keep an eye on our city’s trees through pruning and removal when there is a chance the tree poses a hazard to people. On UFD’s docket is a whopping 4,392 scheduled tree plantings, 10,628 scheduled tree prunings, and 2,726 scheduled tree removals. 

Another way you can help out the city? If you see something, say something! If you see a damaged or questionable-looking street tree or an empty tree box that could use a tree, You can submit a Street Tree Maintenance (or Planting) Request through 311. If you’re willing to, we also recommend you follow up with your Ward Arborist, Ward Specific Community Engagement Specialist, and ANC Commissioner to help shepherd the request along.