Conservation Easement Nominations

Conservation easements are voluntary and legally binding agreements that limit certain types of uses or prevents development from taking place on a piece of property now and in perpetuity to protect important conservation values — including preserving existing tree canopy and open spaces that could support trees in the future.

We welcome nominations for parcels to pursue as conservation easements on District-owned land and privately-owned land within the District. Federally managed parks and parcels such as Rock Creek Park, Fort Circle Parks and the National Arboretum are outside of our purview and therefore ineligible for nomination.

Situations where conservation easements could provide benefit include lands:

• Currently supporting trees or vacant lands that could support trees in the future
• Located adjacent to ecologically sensitive areas such as rivers and streams
• Adjoining lots that when protected together provide larger open spaces
• Abutting parks, schools, historic sites and other areas of special interest
• Set aside by developers for open space or to meet storm water credit requirements
• That are “city owned” but would benefit from being placed in an easement to ensure that they will remain parkland/greenspace in perpetuity.

By placing land in conservation easements, Casey Trees aims to protect existing trees and ensure residents and visitors have ready access to tree-filled open spaces for generations to come.