theleafletMARCH 2014

Spring’s OfferingsA look ahead — new events, friends and plantings coming soon.

2 March 2014 | theleaflet

CASEY TREES NEWS IN BRIEF

CASEY TREES NEWS

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF MEMBER DEPARTS CASEY TREES | Christopher

Horn, a creative pillar within the Communications

and Development Department for more than three

years, has left Casey Trees. Horn took his wealth of

communications and urban forestry knowledge to a

challenging new role as Director of Communications

at American Forests. Horn leaves behind trademark

contributions, such as his stewardship of The Leaflet, a

knack for community relationships and a token flair for

creating inspiring events and tasteful content. Casey

Trees wishes Christopher the best in all his future

endeavors!

DR. JESSICA SANDERS REPORTS ON TREE GROWTH EXPECTATIONS IN NEW STUDY | Casey Trees’ own Jessica Sanders, PhD

and Jason Grabosky, PhD, of Rutgers University,

published a study in the Urban Forestry & Urban

Greening journal evaluating the potentially reduced

growth expectations of five tree species found in

New Jersey parking lots. Factors such as tree height,

diameter at breast height, canopy radius and apparent

available soil were used to evaluate growth trends.

With the support of the District Department of the Environment, the

RiverSmart Homes program is taking aim at another strong planting

season as Casey Trees’ Tree Planting team is gearing up to plant 350 trees

on residential property across the District.

To prepare, Arborist Marty Frye has been meeting with homeowners since

October 2013 to develop personally tailored planting plans that will both

beautify their yards and help reduce stormwater runoff into the District’s

waterways. Casey Trees congratulates homeowners who have chosen to

plant trees on their property and help restore the tree canopy of the District. RiverSmart Homes participants will

benefit from a diverse lineup of 32 native species in the upcoming season, with trees being selected from the

Casey Tree Farm and regional partner nurseries.

RiverSmart Homes program readies for the spring season

The study concluded that across different parking lots,

reductions in tree size were consistently associated

with reduced apparent soil access.

TREE PLANTING CREW TAGS CASEY TREE FARM STOCK | The Tree Planting team, along with

Casey Tree Farm staff, has begun collecting, tagging,

and cataloging farm trees using Casey Trees’ new

mobile tree tracking application. (Read more about the

app on page 10). The trees will be carefully monitored

and tagged from the beginning of their lives until

well into the long years to come. For the spring 2014

season, a record 52 percent of trees to be planted will

come from the Casey Tree Farm.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE WITH CASEY TREES | The Communications and Development

team is seeking a CRM Administrator who will

manage Casey Trees’ Salesforce and Luminate

platforms while overseeing day-to-day operations. Our

Education Department is now accepting applications

for a TreeWise Camp Coordinator and Outdoor Educator. The seasonal position runs from May to

August 15, 2014. The Camp Coordinator will support

the TreeWise program through lesson development

and will help lead outdoor sessions across the D.C.

theleaflet | March 2014 3

metro region and at the U.S. National Arboretum.

COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING PROGRAM APPLICATIONS DUE MAY 1 | Community

groups interested in hosting a Community Tree Planting (CTP) event are encouraged to submit an

application by May 1 to be considered for the fall 2014

and spring 2015 planting seasons. Groups must have

locations for 10 or more trees on their private or public

property. To learn more about the CTP requirements,

just visit the application page where an online

application form is also readily available.

CASEY TREES ENHANCES LINKEDIN PRESENCE | A newly activated and redesigned

LinkedIn page will help Casey Trees better engage

with urban forestry and arboricultural practitioners

while building stronger business and personal

relationships. While posting basic information such as

job announcements, the page will share daily content

of interest regarding policy, research, and local and

national trends to D.C. metro residents, mid-Atlantic

foresters and tree enthusiasts alike. Also featured will

be Casey Trees’ weekly Treelines blog posts, which

highlight relevant industry information. Readers are

encouraged to follow, read, share content and connect

with Casey Trees in new ways through LinkedIn.

GLOBAL WARMING A FACTOR IN THE HEALTHY OF URBAN FORESTS | As

researchers and urban foresters alike acknowledge

the presence of a warming climate, attention shifts

to how trees and urban forests will respond to warming scenarios. Dr. Andrew Bell of the Chicago

Botanic Garden has studied many trees common to

Chicago’s urban forest and their predicted resilience to

climate change scenarios. Although many of the trees

studied would fare well, up to 20 percent of Chicago’s

common trees would not respond well to a warming

urban environment. The research points to a need for

dialogue when considering the trees planted today and

the conditions they will face as they age.

IN THIS ISSUE...

THE CANOPY AWARDS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES GROW .......................................................... 5

SPOTLIGHT: CITIZEN FORESTER TAYLOR SHAW BRINGS EMPLOYER’S MISSION TO LIFE ............. 6

Q&A WITH TREE TOUR GUIDE CAROLE BERGMANN .............................................................................. 7

FURTHER URBAN FOREST UNDERSTANDIHG WITH PHENOLOGY..................................................... 8-9

NEW MOBILE APPLICATION DEBUTS TREE MAINTENANCE FUNCTION ............................................ 10

REDISCOVER THE TREE REBATE .............................................................................................................. 11

SOUTHWEST D.C. LOOKS TO EXPAND TREE CANOPY .................................................................... 12-13

MARCH AND APRIL EVENTS, CLASSES AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ............................... 14-15

ARBOR KIDS: PROJECT BUDBURST ........................................................................................................ 16

URBAN FORESTRY NEWS

4 March 2014 | theleaflet

ARBOR DAY EVE

04.24.14

HONOR. SUPPORT. CELEBRATE.

042414

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE INAUGURAL

CASEY TREES CANOPY AWARDS Recognizing those making a difference today, raising funds for the urban forest of tomorrow.

ARBOR DAY EVE

04.24.146:30 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

$45 ADVANCE SALES$55 AT THE DOOR

R.S.V.P. BY 04.18.14

per person

Food. Drinks. Games. Music. Prizes. Silent Auction.

ALL PROCEES BENEFIT CASEY TREES.

DOCK5 @ UNION MARKET1309 5TH STREET NE, W DC

Purchase tickets at caseytrees.org/canopyawards

theleaflet | March 2014 5

Giving

Distinguished partners join Canopy AwardsBy Mark DeSantis, Development Associate, Casey Trees | Without question, the talk of the town

these days has been the recent announcement of the

upcoming Casey Trees Canopy Awards on April 24.

A first of its kind for our organization and D.C., the event

will celebrate the people, projects and partners that have

made incredible contributions to our city’s urban forest.

Beyond a great celebration filled with food, games and

live music, we hope this annual event will serve as an

opportunity to expand our network of supporters.

Casey Trees has unveiled our newest sponsorship

program, specifically catered to the Canopy Awards.

From discount and complimentary tickets to on-site

signage to advertising space in our event program, the

benefits are incredibly unique and can be catered to

your business’ philanthropic goals. And it doesn’t take

much, with levels starting at just $500.

Do not miss out on what is sure to be a truly fantastic

event. With roughly 300 people scheduled to attend, the

Casey Trees Canopy Awards is a great opportunity to

meet and greet our city’s best and brightest tree-lovers.

You will notice we have already secured some incredible

sponsors for the event — you can join:

Explore what opportunities are available to you and your

business by going online or contacting us by email. All

proceeds of the Canopy Awards will go to Casey Trees

and our tree planting and education initiatives across the

region.

We hope to see you there for what will be a milestone

event for Casey Trees and our city!

GIFT THROUGH THE SILENT AUCTIONIf a sponsorship doesn’t interest you, don’t worry

– you can still help! If you or your business would

like to donate an item or service to the night’s silent

auction to make it even better, please let us know!

Any gift will help our efforts.

The Casey Trees Canopy Awards will take place on April 24, 2014 at Dock5 @ Union Market from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tickets are available for $45.00 per person. If you prefer to register over the phone, or cannot attend but would like to make a donation, please contact our Development Department at 202.349.3471.

5®

6 March 2014 | theleaflet

Spotlight

National Geographic designer uses magazine’s mission as daily inspirationBy Max Lopatnikov, Communications Intern, Casey Trees | What is cool about Casey Trees?

Citizen Forester Taylor Shaw thinks it is the fact that

we trust strangers to wield pickaxes.

After moving to the District in 2010, Shaw and a friend

volunteered with Casey Trees and she was hooked after

having a great time planting trees, where she began

honing her pickaxe skills.

“Casey Trees gives me all the resources I need to

show up, get my hands dirty, and give back to my local

environment,” she said.

Shaw now has a rich résumé with Casey Trees. She

will act as Lead Citizen Forester for the first time at

this spring’s Rosedale Conservancy Community Tree

Planting (CTP) event. Also of note, Shaw has helped

organize Casey Trees and National Geographic

volunteer days, including previous Clean Up the World

Day events with the Embassy of Australia and an

upcoming Global Youth Service Day event in April.

As a Production Artist at National Geographic, Shaw

uses her youth, creativity and design skills to help brand

and promote the conservation efforts that the magazine

represents. Working at a place whose mission is to

“inspire people to care about the planet” creates the

desire to get out and put that philosophy to use.

“I receive a daily dose of inspiration,” she said of how her

work life impacts her personal life.

Shaw knows that volunteering with Casey Trees can

be a fun and challenging activity for many people and

makes sure everyone knows that too.

As a Team Leader, Taylor Shaw leads volunteers at CTP events, such as the one above in Ward 5’s Brookland Manor neighborhood in October 2013.

“Volunteering with Casey Trees creates a unique

opportunity because you contribute your time in a way

that will continually give back to your city,” she said.

“For example, three hours on a Saturday can yield years

of beauty, shade, air quality improvement and prevention

of water runoff. The input-to-output ratio is insanely

rewarding.”

Want to become a Citizen Forester Team Leader? Register for the Tree Planting Workshop on Mar. 8 at The Catholic University of America and attend two more plantings in the spring season.

theleaflet | March 2014 7

Local ecologist Carole Bergmann shares wisdom with Casey TreesCarole Bergmann is a Forest Ecologist for the Maryland

National Capital Parks & Planning Commission and

a longtime resident of the D.C. metro area. On March

23, Bergmann will lead a tree tour at Great Falls. We

spoke with her about forest ecology, public engagement

and her favorite places to see trees in the region.

Q: What are the most important facts you would tell someone to remember about forest ecology?

A: Forests — mature, contiguous forests — are so

important and their value cannot be understated. Deer

pressure and non-native invasive overgrowth are serious

issues in most urban forests in the Mid-Atlantic today.

Forest managers were once able to set aside a parcel

and leave to naturally regenerate itself. Over time, the

forces of nature would do their work and the various

successional stages would lead to a mature forest with

habitat levels for a variety of flora and fauna. That is no

longer the case. When doing some type of building or

infrastructure development, think twice about cutting

down trees in your way. Sure, you can replant them,

but you can’t just plant a group of trees any more and

expect to have a new, healthy forest in 25 years.

Q: Your Weed Warriors program has helped to resolve invasive plant problems in Maryland forests. What is the best way to engage the public about tree care & health?

A: The best way to engage people is through education

and empowerment. I think that people do generally care

a lot about trees, and the health of their forests. The

Education

more they learn, the more important it becomes to them

to protect these resources. The more they comprehend

and realize that they can help and make a difference,

the better for them personally and for the natural

world. I think that Casey Trees does a good job by both

educating people about the importance of protecting

our resources, and empowering them by teaching

them what they can do, and providing opportunities to

volunteer planting trees, etc.

Q: What are your own favorite parks, forests and trees in and outside D.C.?

A: That is a very broad question to be asking someone

like me! The Potomac River, and all of the lands and

forests that surround it, are extremely special to me. I

think that we who live in the D.C. area are exceedingly

lucky to have this river, to have such a place where you

can go in any season and be — quite simply — uplifted.

Some of my favorite parks include the National

Arboretum and Rock Creek Park in D.C. I also enjoy

visiting Little Bennett Regional Park (Md.), C&O Canal

National Historic Park (Md.) and Great Falls Park (Va.).

But there are many more!

I love native Mid-Atlantic tree species such as the

tuliptree and sycamore, but also sassafras, ginkgo,

Additional information about online, classroom and outdoor educational opportunities can be accessed on the website or found on pages 14 and 15.

8 March 2014 | theleaflet

Education

By Stephanie Juchs, Community Education Coordinator, Casey Trees | Spring time in

Washington, D.C. is often unofficially marked with the

blooming of the city’s historic cherry trees. While these

blooms provide some gorgeous photo opportunities,

they also tell the tale of how cherry trees are reacting to

weather and climate patterns over time.

The study of the timing of seasonal life-cycle events,

such as the cherry tree blossoms, and how these

events are influenced

by variations in weather

and on a longer time

scale by climate is called

phenology.

Washington, D.C. provides

a wonderful example of

the long-term monitoring

of phenology and its

practical applications

with the city’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is

scheduled to coincide

with the blossoming of

the District’s historic cherry

trees. The tree’s blossoming is highly correlated with

weather conditions, and National Park Service records

of bloom dates, going back to the 1920s, suggest an

average advance in the bloom date that is noticeable

thanks to this long-term monitoring.

Here at Casey Trees we hope to encourage D.C.-area

residents’ interest in phenology to move beyond the

cherry blossoms to the numerous other species found

in the District. Through monitoring, our constituents

can be on the forefront of investigating tree phenology

in the region and add to the growing national dataset

of phenological observations that can later be used to

investigate climate trends.

Casey Trees recognizes

the threat that climate

change will pose to our

urban forest and how a

changing environment

might necessitate us

to alter some of our

practices as well as our

planting palate. We are

interested in tracking the

timing of phenological

events, such as leaf out,

fruiting, fall color and

leaf drop, on several tree

species in the D.C. area,

including American elm,

blackgum, northern red oak, pin oak, red maple,

sweetbay magnolia, sweetgum and tuliptree.

Our hope is that our constituents, armed with their tree

identification and anatomy knowledge, will learn to

notice the seasonal changes that occur on these trees

Volunteer’s contribute to understanding of D.C.’s Phenology

Acer rubrum samara — the fruit of red maples.

theleaflet | March 2014 9

throughout the year and become

attuned to how these changes are

tied to weather and climate patterns.

With this goal in mind, we are partnering with the USA-

National Phenology Network to have our educated

volunteers monitor tree phenology in the metropolitan

area. We are kicking off this new program on the first

weekend of spring with a training session to teach how

to monitor phenology at newly established Casey Trees

monitoring sites or anywhere else in the region where

our species of interest occur.

At these sites, participants will be trained on how to

make observations — ideally around once a week during

the spring and fall, with potentially fewer observations

during the dormant season — of the presence or

absence of specific phenophases (did you see breaking

buds? Or leaves? Or colored leaves?).

Those who wish to provide more in-depth information

will gain the skills to additionally report on the intensity

of the phenophases, such as an estimate of the

percentage of leaves unfolded on each observation visit.

A special invitation to this training session was sent to

our Citizen Foresters that have taken our introductory

classes and are now equipped with the background

knowledge that would be helpful when monitoring.

In the long term, this citizen science-based research will

help inform our organizational practices and advance

the field of urban forestry as we learn how the species

in Washington, D.C. are responding to climate variability

and, over a longer period, to climate change. Additionally,

as our organization expands regionally and continues to

have a presence in Berryville, Va., home of Casey Tree Farm, we hope to expand our monitoring activities and

learn whether the timing of these phenological events

might differ in urban areas when compared with the

surrounding suburban and rural land types.

We are excited to launch this new endeavor and utilize

the knowledge and expertise of our volunteers to

further our own understanding of our urban forest and

inform our practices. Be on the lookout for our landing

page (still under construction) on the USA-National

Phenology Network webpage and for more training

opportunities in the future!

Flowers and twigs of the American sweetgum

(Liquidambar styraciflua).

Check Casey Trees’ events page for other classes and activities to enhance you tree knowledge in time for spring.

10 March 2014 | theleaflet

Mobile application shines with tree maintenance featureNANCE FUNCTION

By Michael Potts, GIS Analyst, Casey Trees | Maintenance activities such as pruning, watering and

mulching can really make the difference between a

tree’s survival and death, especially in its first few fragile

years in the city.

With our new mobile tree tracking app,

tree care is conveniently tracked using

an intuitive interface. Additionally, users

can record if a tree should be revisited

for additional work. Our previous

system allowed for a limited amount

of maintenance tracking (pruning and

general condition only), but was only

recorded on a last-visited basis, meaning

that if someone revisited a tree, the old

maintenance data would be overwritten.

Using our new app, a user can record

maintenance activity on a single tree or

on multiple trees at once. If the tree still

has its QR code tags, the app can scan

the tree into our database. With GPS

functionality given by the app, the user

can easily find where they are on the

ground in relation to trees on the map,

so they can be sure they are selecting

the right trees.

THE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY SELECTOR

With the trees visited listed at the top, work performed

at the “Current Visit” and work for the “Revisit”. The user

must select at every visit the current condition of the

tree and pruning performed

from convenient dropdown

menus. They can also select

whether they mulched,

watered, or staked the tree

and whether they installed,

filled, or removed the tree’s

water bag.

Despite the greater ease

of recording maintenance

information when compared

to our previous system, a

noteworthy new feature

allows the crew to record

problems that may need to be

addressed in the future for a given tree. These problems

could include a need for pruning, staking, mulching,

watering, or even tree replacement.

Back in the Casey Trees headquarters, we can query

the tree database to get a list of trees that need to be

revisited for different types of work along with their

locations. This strategy makes it easy to plan where to

send our Tree Planting team to perform various activities

and maximize our resources to better care for trees.

With these tech-savvy assets, recording a tree’s

condition and other attributes at each and every visit

gives Casey Trees an invaluable degree of control

towards caring for all our trees over time.

Technology & Research

If tags are missing, the user can select the tree of interest by drawing a box around it in the map view as shown in the inset image.

For more creative examples of work from the Technology and Research team, explore the informative maps created from tree data.

theleaflet | March 2014 11

Tree Planting

Casey Trees offers a collection of print and video tutorials on how to plant and care for trees.

By Marty Frye, Arborist, Casey Trees | Have you

heard of the Tree Rebate program?

Sometimes we may fail to recognize all the great tree

planting work that is going on right in the backyards

of homeowners across the city. Many Washingtonians

choose to get involved with our work by stepping out

their back door, putting a shovel into the ground and

planting a tree that they will nurture and watch grow for

decades to come. This noble act of nurturing a tree in

one’s own yard is vital to the effort to restore the city’s

tree canopy and develop its ecological integrity.

Through the Tree Rebate program, funded by the District

Department of the Environment, we help to incentivize

this work by putting money back in the pockets of these

home tree planters.

We take special measures to support the planting of

our most significant shade trees — take D.C.’s official

tree, the scarlet oak, for example — with up to a rebate

of up to $100 dollars. There are dozens more species

eligible for the $100 rebate, too! For homeowners who

determine they want to green their property with smaller

specimens, we provide up to a $50 dollar rebate.

Some homeowners are looking for an ornamental tree

that brings them a bouquet of blossoms in the spring

while others are hoping to support native wildlife, such

as butterflies and song birds, by planting uncommon

native trees. And still others find that they can add

Tree Rebate returns for spring seasonto their pantry with one of the many

productive fruit and nut trees that

thrive in this region.

The map to the right

represents the

hundreds of

homeowners who

have planted a tree

and received rebates in

return since the programs

beginning.

Do you have a neighbor who has planted

a tree and got a rebate? If so, great! Give

them a big pat on the back. If you live in

a part of the city with fewer trees, we are

calling on you to champion this important

work and let your neighbors know about the

Tree Rebate opportunity.

The benefits of trees are numerous and

the Tree Rebate helps make tree planting

accessible to anyone.

Many residents have received their tree rebates after planting a tree, but plenty of space remains.

12 March 2014 | theleaflet

Planning & Design

By Emily Oaksford, Planning Associate, Casey Trees | At Casey Trees, we are always looking for ways

to restore, enhance and protect trees in D.C., because

we believe that the environmental health, social vibrancy

and economic well-being of communities can be

enriched with a greater tree canopy.

The DC Office of Planning is undergoing a community

planning process to develop a Small Area Plan for

the Southwest neighborhood. They are enlisting

community input to “create an urban design, land use,

and neighborhood preservation framework to enhance

Southwest[‘s] assets for the next 5 to 10 years.”

Southwest is a well-established neighborhood located

south of the National Mall, defined in the plan as a

roughly 300-acre area bounded by I-395 to the north, P

Street SW to the south, South Capitol Street to the east,

and Maine Avenue SW to the west. The neighborhood

includes the Waterfront Metro station, is located just

north of Buzzards Point, and is in walking distance to

Nationals Stadium.

A magnificent, well-developed tree canopy helps to

define the Southwest neighborhood. But our Planning

& Design Department would like to see these areas

preserved and expanded. We performed a tree canopy

analysis to better inform the Office of Planning and

the area residents of the existing tree canopy and

opportunities for canopy enhancement in Southwest.

Based on our analysis, the Southwest neighborhood

currently has 25 percent tree canopy cover. Although

urban conditions often limit plantable space, the

Southwest neighborhood is unique in that it has the

potential for a fairly high tree canopy cover — 37

percent or greater, to be exact. Southwest’s potential

tree canopy lies in its public parks and roadways, shared

community spaces, paved parking lots and undeveloped

sites, which all provide untapped opportunities for large

canopy trees. Canopy trees, incorporated within green

infrastructure, can help meet the community’s goals for

the future — to integrate the neighborhood’s current

park and open space amenities and connect them with

the surrounding community.

In order to grow from 25 percent to its potential of 37

percent tree canopy, the neighborhood must cover 113

acres of its existing grassed land with canopy trees. In

other words, a total of 11,900 trees must be planted, or

1,190 trees a year over a 10-year period.

Of the 300 acres that make up the Southwest

neighborhood, more than 38.5 acres (12.8 percent) are

roadways and 68.3 acres (22.8 percent) are other paved

surfaces, such as sidewalks or parking lots. If nine acres

of paved parking lot areas were removed and replaced

with canopy trees, the Southwest neighborhood could

achieve 40 percent canopy, matching the District-wide

canopy goal.

Based on this analysis, our Planning & Design staff will

recommend that the Office of Planning and Southwest

residents adopt a 37 percent tree canopy goal as part of

the Small Area Plan.

A vision for Southwest D.C.: The Southwest Neighborhood Plan

Take part in shaping the canopy of Southwest by volunteering at the Lansburgh Park Community Tree Planting on May 3.

theleaflet | March 2014 13

0.10 0.2 0.25miles

Southwest Neighborhood: Existing Tree Canopy

Landcover Type (Percent Coverage) Existing Tree Canopy and Potential Tree Canopy AnalysisBuilding (21.6%)

Water (0.3%)

Roadway (12.8%)

Other Pavement (22.8%)

Tree Canopy Cover: 25% Tree Canopy / (Total Area - Water)

Potential Tree Canopy: 37% (Tree Canopy + Grass + Bare Earth) / (Total Area - Water - (Rec fields + PUDs)

Tree Canopy (24.9%)

Grass (17.5%)

Bare Earth (0.4%)

Recreation fields

Planned Unit Development sites

Potential Tree Canopy is assessed by assuming that Grass and Bare Earth areas have the potential for future canopy cover. In our assessment, we excluded some grass and dirt areas as potential locations for future trees. The areas excluded in the analysis are Recreation fields (DPR or DCPS)* and approved Planning Unit Development (PUD) sites.

NORTH

M Street SW

P Street SW

N Street SW

O Street SW

I Street SW

Sout

h Ca

pito

l Stre

et S

W

Half

Stre

et S

W

Firs

t Stre

et S

W

4th

Stre

et S

W

6th

Stre

et S

W

7th

Stre

et S

W

3rd

Stre

et S

W

Dela

ware

Ave

SWSouthwest

Duck Pond

Nationals Stadium

Waterfront

1 2

4

5

6

3

123

Jefferson Recreation Center

Amidon-Bowden Elementary School

Randal Recreation Center

Recreation fieldsLansburgh Park (tennis courts)

King Greenleaf Recreation Center (tennis courts)

King Greenleaf Recreation Center

456

14 March 2014 | theleaflet

Class: Tree Planting Workshop9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.The Catholic University of America620 Michigan Avenue NE

This workshop is the first step to becoming a Citizen Forester Team Leader and helping Casey Trees at future plantings by instructing other volunteers! Team Leader candidates will learn how to select and prepare a tree planting site and properly plant the tree to ensure its survival.

Cost: Free

**This is a Citizen Forester-qualifying course. (Waitlist available)

Social: Branch Out Happy Hour6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.El Rey919 U Street NW

March’s Branch Out will be at El Rey, a bar and taqueria and one of U Street’s newest establishments. Come celebrate with us as spring is only around the corner.

**No registration required

Tree Tour: Gold Mine Tract at Great Falls10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.11710 MacArthur BoulevardPotomac, Md.

Welcome spring with a hike through the Gold Mine Tract at Great Falls, the first forest in Maryland to be inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network. Join Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission’s Forest Ecologist Carole Bergmann and explore this exceptional forest habitat.

Cost: Free**Advance registration was offered exclusively to Casey Trees Members. Join today to receive benefits such as advance registration. (Waitlist available)

Tree Tour: Cherry Blossom Walk11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Location determined upon registration

Join Washington Walks and Casey Trees for a walking tour recounting how Japanese cherry trees came to be planted in the District and the different varieties found in the area. The walk will also include up-close looks at other notable trees along the National Mall.

Cost: $20**Registration for this event is through the Washington Walks website.

Tree Tour: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Frederick Douglass National Historic Site1411 W Street SE

Celebrate the District’s Emancipation Day a few days early with a tour of Frederick Douglass’ home and the surrounding grounds! A morning tour of Cedar Hill, the former home of Frederick Douglass, will be followed by a tree tour led by City of Trees author Melanie Choukas-Bradley.

Cost: Free, SOLD OUT

Class: Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.Casey Trees Headquarters

This course looks at non-native, invasive plants and how they threaten native landscapes. Participants will learn how to identify and control invasives found in the D.C. area. The course consists of two parts on two different days: a 2.5 hour classroom session at the Casey Trees headquarters (April 23rd) followed by a 3 hour field session (April 26th) in Rock Creek Park

Cost: Free

Events

Tree tours and classes to enjoy this springMarch and April are full of classes, tree tours and planting events to participate in. Become a Casey Trees Member to receive exclusive benefits, such as advance registration to events like those below!

SUNDAY, MARCH 23SATURDAY, MARCH 8 SATURDAY, APRIL 12

TUESDAY, MARCH 11

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23

theleaflet | March 2014 15

Class: Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal Field Session9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.Rock Creek Park

Field session for “Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal” class. The course consists of two parts on two different days: a 2.5 hour classroom session at the Casey Trees headquarters (April 23rd) followed by a 3 hour field session (April 26th) in Rock Creek Park.

Cost: Free**Registering for the classroom session automatically registers participants for the field session

Volunteer

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

5 Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Washington Latin PCS 6 Thursday 12:30 p.m. IDEA PCS 8 Saturday 9:00 a.m. The Catholic University of America 12 Wednesday 9:00 a.m. E.L. Haynes PCS 12 Wednesday 12:30 p.m. Cardozo High School 13 Thursday 9:00 a.m. Drew Freeman Middle School (Md.) 13 Thursday 12:30 p.m. Excel PCS 15 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Petworth Neighborhood 19 Wednesday 12:30 p.m. Gwynn Park High School (Md.) 20 Thursday 12:30 p.m. Capital City PCS 22 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy 26 Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Bruce Monroe at Park View 27 Thursday 9:00 a.m. Neval Thomas Elementary School 29 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Garfield Park 29 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Rosedale Community Garden

3 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Lansburgh Park 3 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Rosedale Conservancy

DATE DAY TIME LOCATION/GROUP

Volunteer opportunities are in blue. Citizen Forester-only plantings or trainings are in green.

Schools and special planting events are not open to outside volunteers. Advance registration for

volunteer events is required and many events have already filled up.

3 Thursday 9:00 a.m. Garrison Elementary School 5 Saturday 9:00 a.m. St. Joseph’s Seminary 5 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Shepherd Park 10 Thursday 10:00 a.m. Robert Goddard Montessori School (Md.) 11 Friday 10:00 a.m. Armed Forces Retirement Home 12 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Quincy Street Neighbors 12 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Edgewood Neighborhood 19 Saturday 9:00 a.m. Fair Haven Community Center (Va.) 19 Friday 9:00 a.m. Knox Terrace 22 Tuesday 9:00 a.m. Imagine Hope - Lamond PCS

16 March 2014 | theleaflet

Arbor Kids

Project BudBurstSpring is almost here! The trees in your neighborhood, park and school grounds will be changing a lot in the

next couple of months. Now is a great time to start monitoring those trees and tracking their changes.

The folks over at Project BudBurst want your help to gather observations on all kinds of trees and plants.

Help scientists across the country by logging your own tree observations and data online.

1. Pick a tree in your yard, neighbor-

hood, or school grounds.

2. Get identification tips from

Budburst.

3. Download an observation sheet for your favorite tree. Monitor

the same tree once or throughout a

whole season!

Date

Leaves unfolding____ No leaves

____ Early: Only a few leaves have unfolded from the buds (less than 5%)

____ Middle: Many leaves have unfolded from the buds

____ Late: Most leaves are fully unfolded (over 95%)

Leaves changing color____ No leaves have changed color

____ Early: Only a few leaves have changed color (less than 5%)

____ Middle: Many leaves have changed color

____ Late: Most leaves have changed color (over 95%)

Flowers____ No flowers or pollen

____ Early: Only a few flowers have emerged (less than 5%) or pollen is just starting to disperse

____ Middle: Many flowers have emerged or a lot of pollen is falling

____ Late: Most flowers have wilted or fallen off (over 95%) or most pollen has fallen

Leaves dropping____ No leaves have dropped

____ Early: Only a few leaves have dropped (less than 5%)

____ Middle: Many leaves have dropped

____ Late: Most leaves have dropped (over 95%)

Fruit____ No ripe fruits

____ Early: Only a few ripe fruits are visible (less than 5% are ripe)

____ Middle: Many fruits are ripe

____ Late: Most fruits or seeds have been dispersed from plant (over 95%)

Latitude*

Longitude*

City*

State* Zip

Common Plant Name*

Scientific Name (if known)

Site Name (a unique name of your choosing)

* Required fields

Single ReportDeciduous Trees & Shrubs

About your plant

What is your plant doing now? (Check the most applicable option in each category below.)

Single Report forms are used to make observations of what one plant is doing on one specific day. Remember to report your data at www.budburst.org Questions? Email us at budburstinfo@neoninc.org

© 2013 NEON, Inc. All rights reserved.

| CITIZEN SCIENCE

Participating in Project BudBurst

Observe: Observe a plant in your community.

Record: Record your observation on a Single Report form.

Submit: Submit your observation on www.budburst.org

4. Get outdoors and look out for

changes like:

BUDBURSTFULL FLOWERFIRST LEAFFIRST RIPE FRUITALL LEAVES UNFOLDED

American Sycamore.

Tuliptree.