City of Trees

Release Date: Tuesday, November 15th 2011

Thanks to the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Urban Forestry Administration (UFA), the city’s tree canopy—the percentage of the ground that has tree cover overhead—is expanding. This is good news. Healthy tree canopies reduce stormwater runoff, carbon emissions and energy consumption. How we get there is by planting more trees, which UFA does from late fall to spring. More than 3,500 new street trees will populate all eight wards this cycle, bringing the total planted by UFA since fiscal year 2005 to 39,375.

To help the young trees thrive, UFA needs your help and asks that residents share the responsibility by adopting the trees through its Canopy Keepers program. Just sign a partnership agreement to water and monitor the welfare of specific trees in the first two years after planting. You’ll receive a free slow-drip watering tub for every tree adopted. For the final planting locations, call 202.671.1533. Also, check out this online map not only to see where the new trees are going but also to identify the species being planted.