April 12, 2018

Karen Cucurullo
Acting Superintendent
Attn: National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial EA
National Park Service
National Mall and Memorial Parks
900 Ohio Drive SW
Washington, D.C. 20024

RE: National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial Design Scoping

Dear Karen Cucurullo,

Casey Trees is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit with a mission “to restore, enhance, and protect the tree
canopy of the nation’s capital.” To fulfill this mission, we plant trees; monitor the city’s tree canopy; and
work with decision makers, developers, and residents to encourage tree planting and protection on both
public and private property. We are dedicated to helping the District reach its 40 percent tree canopy goal by
2032. As a city, we will achieve this goal when designs achieve a net gain in tree canopy. We thank the
National Park Service (NPS) and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for prioritizing trees in the
proposed designs for the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial (the Memorial).

During the initial public scoping phase in July 2017, an overwhelming majority of respondents supported the
Constitution & 23rd location for the memorial. In addition, NPS and NCPC included the following items in the
list of design elements and concepts that were presented at a public meeting on March 27, 2018:

• Integrate the memorial into the existing landscape,
• Maintain existing trees, and
• Include trees as a landscaping design element.

Given these goals and results, we continue to urge NPS and NCPC to select the Constitution & 23rd site for the
Memorial. Of all the potential Memorial locations, Constitution & 23rd is the only one that would grow tree
canopy in downtown Washington, D.C. The designs for Constitution & 23rd show all existing healthy trees
preserved and new trees planted. Incorporating and preserving trees in this way will help the District achieve
its environmental goals and enhance the visitor experience. In addition, we recommend keeping the area of
paved and impervious surfaces to a minimum throughout the design to preserve soil and plantable space.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Casey Trees would be happy to work with you to provide tree-related
analyses for the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial Site. If you have any questions
about these recommendations, please feel free to contact me at ktaddei@caseytrees.org.

Sincerely,
Kristin Taddei

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