THE LEAFLET

March 13, 2023 /
Christina Hester

We’ve Been Busy Talking Trees!

This past week, Casey Trees attended two local conferences/events – Taking Nature Black and Rooting DC! These events allowed us the opportunity to talk trees and reach out to other local organizations and nonprofits.

jonathan at taking nature black

Urban Forester Jonathan at Taking Nature Black

Taking Nature Black is a conference put on by Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society), and is one of the organization’s premiere showcases for regional and national environmental leaders to help inform, engage, and empower diverse communities around critical environmental issues. Casey Trees was proud to be a supporting sponsor of the conference this year.

2023 marked the 5th annual conference, with the theme “Belonging: Engaged and Empowered”, which “reflects the need for environmental justice and togetherness as we continue to build power together”. The conference took place over 3 days – two virtual and one in-person, in which we were able to learn from robust and informative sessions, connect with other environmentally focused organizations, and talk about all things trees with other conference attendees.

maddie and francis at rooting dc

Horticulturist Maddie and Urban Forestry Crew Chief Francis at Rooting DC

Rooting DC is a free, all-day urban gardening forum that provides education about urban agriculture and food systems, cultivates health and protection of the environment, and builds community. Rooting DC has been the District’s premiere meeting ground for individuals and nonprofits looking to grow healthier food systems across the nation’s capital. Our staff was happy to chat with attendees about how trees play a vital part in local gardens and local food sources.

This year’s event took place at Anacostia High School. Attendees were able to participate in free hands-on gardening workshops and discussions to learn new skills and engage with key issues around food justice and food policy.

The annual day-long event started in 2007 as a small gathering of about 150 urban gardeners and has grown into an annual event with more than 1200 attendees from across the region. Over the last 15 years, the event has been held both in-person and virtually – including educational workshops, networking spaces, and valuable community building where local food-systems stakeholders share their knowledge and learn from one another.