We’re excited to announce the release of the 2022 Tree Report Card! The Tree Report Card is where we analyze the state of DC’s urban forest and grade its progress towards our 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 gave the nation’s capital a B for 2022!
Tree Coverage (A-) | Tree Health (A-) | Tree Planting (A+) | Tree Protection (F)
As you can see, although we’ve been exceptional in most categories – Tree Protection in the District isn’t up to par. Illegal removals of protected Special and Heritage trees on development sites have increased because the fines are set too low to act as a deterrent. While this year’s Tree Protection grade is not as we would hope, the stricter provisions of the Urban Forest Preservation Authority Amendment Act (UFPAAA) are already having a positive impact.
That being said, this year we’re also acknowledging the ever-apparent need for a regional canopy goal. Just as we’re doing for our 2023 Canopy Awards, we want to highlight and help our neighbors in the work they’re doing to expand canopy coverage. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) was established to develop solutions to shared regional problems facing its 24 member governments in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
In 2018, MWCOG published a tree canopy strategy document, but failed to establish a regional canopy goal to guide and inspire its members as they grapple with the loss of their trees and forests. The time to act is now. Casey Trees urges MWCOG to track and publicize regional canopy data more systematically, and most of all, to set a regional canopy goal for its members to work toward.
The full Tree Report Card can be found on our website. Help us combat the growing threat of impervious surfaces – plant a canopy tree to help absorb stormwater runoff. We have many residential planting options available for FREE!
