Media Contact: John Lisle at (202) 671-2004
(Washington, DC) Join the Department of Transportation's Certified Arborists for an Urban Tree Walk every Saturday this summer. Bring your children or a cup of coffee for an informal discussion with the experts from the Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) who care for all of the street trees in the District.
The Urban Tree Walks will be held in a different District neighborhood each Saturday morning, from 9 to 11 am, through the end of August. The first walk will be this weekend in Palisades, weather permitting.
The goal is to educate residents about the trees that grow in their neighborhoods and to give them an opportunity to ask any nagging questions they might have about why trees do what they do. While the arborists can discuss any tree-related issues, the intent of the walks is not to simply collect service requests. Residents should continue to call 311 to report dead or damaged trees, or to request the planting of street trees.
Kick Off Meeting Information:
For a complete schedule of the Urban Tree Walks, visit www.trees.ddot.dc.gov.
The Urban Forest Administration has 14 certified Arborists on staff, of which 7 have achieved the Municipal Specialist Certification. They manage more than 200,000 trees on public space in the District. UFA handles over 8,000 service requests each year and is eager to partner with neighborhood organizations that can help with our Tree Steward Program. The Tree Stewards agree to water a newly planted street tree for the first two years and play a critical role in helping those trees get established and expanding the city’s canopy. Information about the program is also available on our website at www.trees.ddot.dc.gov.