THE LEAFLET

This post is part of a three-part series focused on an analysis of DC 311 data. Part one highlighted how we use 311 and how tree-related requests compare to all 311 requests. Part two focuses on how 311 requests are dispersed across the city. And part three centers on the city’s response and fulfillment of 311 requests.

DC 311 & Our Trees: Part II – How does 311 activity differ across all 8 wards?

Last week, we introduced a three-part series focused on an analysis of over one million 311 requests from the last 3 years. We wanted to see what 311 data revealed about the concerns DC residents have about the city’s trees and tree-related services. 311 may be a service request platform, but it also provides valuable insights into the everyday concerns and priorities of Washingtonians – a glimpse into what matters most to DC residents, what services are most needed, and where expectations and reality on city services may not align.

In part one, we discovered that Washingtonians care deeply about our tree canopy and often use 311 to report tree-related issues. Tree-related service types (Tree Inspection, Tree Pruning, Tree Planting, and Tree Removal) are all in the top 30 reasons why residents contact 311.

But how do 311 requests track across the city? Do residents in different parts of the city report tree-related issues or request tree-related services at different rates? In part two, we dive deeper to see how residents throughout all 8 wards interact with 311 and our trees.

1. How Washingtonians engage with 311 (and trees) varies by Ward.

Not all residents across DC use 311 equally. Some ward residents use the service frequently, while others may not. Take a look at how requests vary across the city:

Ward 3 residents are the least engaged through 311 requests, but of their 93,096 total requests, 7% were tree-related – the highest percentage of any ward. This is in contrast to Ward 5 residents, who submitted the most 311 requests, and whose numbers track with the overall city average of 4% of 311 requests being tree-related. Like Ward 3 residents, Ward 8 residents are less engaged through 311, but are also least likely to make a tree-related request.

It is possible that DC’s varying environmental, socioeconomic, and demographic differences attribute to the varied engagement. Depending on where residents live and what they experience, they likely have different needs and expectations of city services, and that may or may not include trees.

2. How Washingtonians feel about 311 (and trees) varies by Ward.

Ra Amin (second from right), Ward 5 resident and ANC Commissioner, with neighbors and constituents.

“In general, I see a good response from 311, but it depends on what I’m calling for. I mean, it’s way better than it was years ago. 311 didn’t even exist when I was growing up in DC,” says Ra Amin, a DC native, Ward 5 resident, and ANC 5B04 Commissioner. Amin can often be found walking his dogs around the neighborhood, enjoying the shade and beauty of the city’s trees, and stopping to greet neighbors. “In Brookland, here in Ward 5, we have a diverse tree canopy, and overall, people care about our trees and green spaces, but some people might not want trees for various reasons. People just don’t know all the reasons trees are important for our city – for public health and environmental health. People are shocked when I tell them the city actually has a tree canopy goal – they have no idea!”

Although there are parts of Ward 5, like Brookland, that have a robust and growing tree canopy, there are other areas of Ward 5 that do not. “For instance, Ivy City has almost no trees,” says Amin. “I’ve spoken with colleagues there, and I say, ‘you all have no trees.’ It wasn’t their immediate concern, but it’s an issue, and an equity issue too, for the city. You can see it outside of here too, like Ward 8, which has been neglected. You can just drive along the streets and experience the loss of canopy. Other places in the northwest side of the city have this beautiful, mature tree canopy, and you don’t see that in Ward 8.”

Greta Fuller, Ward 8 resident, former ANC Commissioner, and Co-President of the Anacostia Historical Preservation Society.

Across the river, DC residents know and feel that lack of trees. “It’s not for lack of caring”, says Ward 8 resident, Greta Fuller, “it’s that Ward 8 residents are more concerned with housing, crime, and living in a food desert”. Fuller understands well the concerns of her neighbors – she’s lived in Ward 8 for over 23 years, has previously served as the Anacostia 8A06 ANC Commissioner, and is Co-President of the Historic Anacostia Preservation Society. Ward 8 residents struggle with food insecurity and poverty, with only one full-service grocery store, and more than one-third of residents living below the poverty line. And while Ward 8 has fewer 311 requests than most other wards, its residents log the most 911 requests. “We want trees too – for shade, water runoff, erosion management – but it just goes to the bottom of the list”, says Fuller, “People will say ‘I got more to worry about than a tree… how about something to feed my kids?’ And a lot of people don’t know to call 311 for trees, or they think it’s not their business to report that.”

Nathan Harrington (back, third from left), Ward 8 resident and Executive Director of Ward 8 Woods.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Nathan Harrington, Ward 8 resident and Executive Director of Ward 8 Woods, who can be found on weekends leading trash removal efforts. “There are lots of people who don’t know about 311 – they don’t know there is a procedure. I saw a lady dumping a sofa near a park once and I stopped her to ask why she didn’t call bulk collection, and she just didn’t know about it, and she had lived in DC a long time.” Harrington and Ward 8 Woods lead trash pick-up events all over Ward 8, and often work with residents to help report bulk collection or trash removal. “We have a lot of people who have lived here a long time. They can remember back when city services really didn’t work at all. So maybe some services work better now, but they just don’t know or have confidence in the process.”

Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, on a neighborhood bike ride with constituents and neighbors.

To an extent, the same is true across the city in Ward 3. When asked about 311 reporting, Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin agrees that some residents may not think submitting a 311 request is useful, but stresses its value: “There is a skepticism people have about 311, but we always ask people to put in requests, track it, and stay on top of it, because there is a real utility to it. We are able to see the requests, and follow up where it’s needed.” Ward 3, at 59% tree canopy, is the most canopied ward, with nearly double or triple the tree canopy of some other wards. Living among such a verdant and tree-filled landscape may explain why Ward 3 residents are so engaged with trees through 311. The Councilmember admits that trees are near and dear to the hearts of Ward 3 residents, but it’s often not their chief concern. “We see our constituents worried about things like traffic safety issues – while they certainly care about trees, it is a smaller, though not insignificant percentage, of 311 requests”.

3. Washingtonians have different needs for tree services across the city.

Requests for tree services come from all parts of the city, but the nature of their requests vary based on location. Some wards request more pruning, while others request more planting, and vice versa. Check out the trends below:

Tree canopy by Ward (lighter green = less canopy; darker green = more canopy). Click to see more from our 2021 Tree Report Card.

Ward 4 residents live in a highly canopied area – at almost 50% tree canopy – which includes Rock Creek Park. These residents request all four tree-related services at a high rate and lead the city in a total number of tree-planting requests. Ward 3 residents, who live in the most canopied area of DC that comprises many more mature trees, request more tree inspections and tree removals than any other ward. Residents in Wards 7 and 8 request tree inspections and tree pruning more frequently than tree planting requests. And with a greater amount of impermeable space, less canopy (19%), and fewer trees to care for, Ward 6 residents have lower-than-average requests for tree inspections, pruning, and planting.

In Ward 8, the need for tree-related services may be what is driving the lack of 311 engagement on trees. “Planting is great, but more so, we need the city to come back around to prune and care for these trees”, says Greta Fuller. “Cut back the trees that are blocking the alleys or overtaking neighbors’ homes”. Nathan Harrington agrees, “There’s lots of trees that need to be pruned. Some people walk the sidewalk and run into tree branches that are in the way and think, ‘I just wish these trees were gone!’. The lack of faith in maintenance can lead to residents just not wanting trees at all.”

“It makes sense that we have more requests for inspection, pruning, and removal”, says Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin. “Those are safety issues that have an immediacy to them. This is likely how people believe they should use 311, for the more immediate and urgent needs, but we want to encourage people to use it for other important, less urgent requests as well, like identifying opportunities for tree planting”.

But how do residents’ 311 requests and need for tree-related services translate to action? How is the city responding to these requests? Ward 5 resident and ANC Commissioner, Ra Amin, gives just one account: “For instance, there was a resident here who called 311 recently to have a tree pruned that grew up and is blocking a street light, and they are concerned it’s blocking light at night and is a safety issue. It’s been 3 or 4 weeks now, and we don’t know where that request is at.”

Is this experience with 311 representative of the city’s overall response to requests? Sign up for our newsletter and join us next week for part three, where we speak with city officials on their efforts to fulfill 311 requests and maintain our tree canopy.

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