In late November 2022, Casey Trees was approached by leadership at the downtown Golden Triangle BID with a simple request: more trees! They had recently surveyed everyday users of Farragut Square about what they’d like to see happen in the park, and the number one thing the respondents said was more shade.
Indeed, if you’ve visited Farragut Square at some point in the past few years, you’ve likely noticed that it’s a particularly sun-drenched spot, especially compared to other parks in DC. Although early plans of Farragut from the 1800s and early 1900s reveal a park densely populated with trees such as lindens, ashes, and maples, tree mortality and removals over time—including the infamous loss of a historic ginkgo tree in 2013—have contributed to the park’s canopy decline in recent decades. As the 2017 Cultural Landscape Inventory for Farragut Square notes, “The number of trees growing in the square has slowly decreased over the years, from a high of ninety-two trees in 1886 to thirty today.” By November 2024, that number had dwindled to 26.
Laid out in 1791 by Pierre L’Enfant as part of the L’Enfant Plan, Farragut Square is a key part of DC’s historic monumental core. It represents one corner of the triangle formed by Macpherson Square to the east and Lafayette Square to the southeast. Its distinctive X-shaped plan contains 4 diagonal pedestrian paths arrayed around a central statue. Casey Trees worked closely with Golden Triangle BID and the National Park Service to develop a planting plan that honors the park’s history and complements its geometries while planning for longevity and ecological resilience. Our planting palette, which consists entirely of species native to the mid-Atlantic, features black gums, yellowwoods, river birches, and three different species of oaks for a wide array of seasonal interest and support for native wildlife and insects throughout the year. Clocking in at 18 new trees, this planting nearly doubled the number of canopy trees in the park from 26 to 44.
The existing conditions at Farragut Square highlight the urgency of our mission—not only to plant new trees in open areas but also to steward the existing canopy and plan for its eventual decline, replacement, and continued survival. We’re addressing these challenges head-on by nearly doubling the canopy tree count at Farragut Square and planning for long-term growth. All of the new trees planted at Farragut Square will benefit from Casey Trees’ maintenance commitment, which includes summer watering and structural pruning efforts.
Urban trees do more than beautify—they clean the air, filter stormwater, cool the streets, and uplift the community. At Farragut Square, they’ll once again provide the shade and tranquility the park was designed to offer, and Casey Trees will be here to support them as they grow. We are proud to have participated in this effort to breathe life back into a park so rich in history yet so in need of care.
