Spring is the busiest but best time at Casey Trees. Just as trees start to leaf out and flower, our team gets to work, racing to plant as many trees as possible before temperatures get too high. So far this year, we’ve planted over 3,000 trees at schools, DC homes, houses of worship, and green spaces citywide.
As the spring planting season wraps up, we wanted to share some special moments from the field.
Volunteers Are the Heart of Community Tree Plantings
There’s nothing like working side by side with your neighbors to plant trees. Through the cold, the rain, and the heat, hundreds of volunteers came out this spring to make our communities greener, cooler, and healthier.
We planted more than 300 trees at community events this spring alone—made possible by our dedicated volunteers, Team Leaders, and sponsors—at sites including Lincoln Park, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Gallaudet University, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and beyond.
Planting a Greener Future at DC Schools
DC school grounds average just 13% tree canopy cover, significantly lower than the city’s overall 37% canopy coverage. In addition to bringing shade and beauty to a school campus, our school tree plantings give students a hands-on opportunity to learn about their environment, their urban forest, and the science of trees.
This season, our Education Team worked with six schools to add over 150 trees across their campuses. In addition, they engaged hundreds of students through in-school instruction and out-of-school enrichment programming, bringing tree knowledge and appreciation to young people across the city.
One DC fourth-grade teacher put it best: “The students are going to remember this forever—this is such a unique and enriching experience.”
Our Tree Operations Crew in Action
Beyond community and school plantings, our Tree Operations crew has been hard at work planting trees across the city, helping expand and sustain DC’s urban canopy block by block. This includes impactful projects that reimagine what our residential and park spaces look like, from small home gardens that incorporate shade trees to reforesting a golf course in Prince George’s County, MD.
As the planting season comes to a close, our focus now shifts to summer watering—ensuring newly planted trees receive the care they need to establish and thrive in the months ahead.
Care For the Trees, All Year Round
Bummed that planting season is over? No need to worry! There are still plenty of groundbreaking ways to help the trees—without actually breaking the ground.
Learn when and how to water trees with our weekly watering alerts, available through our newsletter and watering page. And keep an eye out on our events page for upcoming volunteer opportunities, including invasive vine and plant removals to help trees breathe and flourish through the summer months.
Until next planting season!
