Restore, Enhance and Protect the Tree Canopy of our Nation’s Capital

TREE REPORT CARD PROGRESS OR POISON?

REFORESTING AN AMERICAN CITY

MISSIONRESTORE, ENHANCE,

PROTECT THE TREE CANOPY

OF OUR NATION’S CAPITAL

MOTTOCONNECT

PEOPLE TO TREES,

THROUGH TREES, AND TO CASEY TREES

GOAL – 40% TREE CANOPY

BY 2032

MISSIONMOTTO GOAL

Tree Planting

Technical Services

& ResearchPlanning

& Advocacy

Education

Casey Tree Farm

Communication &

Development Conservation

Easements (pilot)

WHY BOTHER?Nationally, we’re all grappling with the same issue…

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Year 1 Year 2Tr

ee

Cove

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Nowak & Greenfeld; Urban Forestry & Greening

WHY BOTHER?Locally – in 2005 – we asked

What are we trying to achieve; how do we track progress; and, how do we know when we’ve arrived?

ROUND 1: 2008

INAUGURAL YEARBecause there were no city-wide canopy goal(s), we compared DC to other cities as follows:

• Canopy Coverage • Overall Tree Health• Tree Planting• Tree Protection & Replacement• Public Awareness of Tree-Related Issues (patterned

after the USFS metrics for State UF programs)

LESSONS LEARNED – CONS…

Several Key Relationships were unintentionally nukedResults Are Based on BOTH public and private efforts, but many did not (still do not) see it this wayWithout a Canopy Goal the results were weakenedInternal Expectations were varied and challengingCalling it a “Report Card” might not have been the best idea

LESSONS LEARNED – PROS…

Several New Relationships were forgedPublic Voice Was Given to a relatively unknown issueMost Everyone Understood the concept of a “Report Card”A Baseline Was Established – no longer would the importance of the City’s trees be something people forgot

ROUND 2: 2009 – 2011

With a Canopy Goal in place, the measurements were clearer and specific to DC:

• Canopy Coverage (existing % to the goal %)• Overall Tree Health (% expressed in iTree Eco)• City-Wide Tree Planting (# planted vs. goal #)• Tree Protection & Replacement (per City tree laws)• Public Awareness of Tree-Related Issues (patterned

after the USFS metrics for State UF programs)

LESSONS LEARNED…

With the Canopy Goal in place, the metrics graded off of benchmarks for the CityMeasuring Public Awareness correctly would have been cost prohibitive; how we did it was too general to be of useA Short, Visual-Centric report a far better mechanismEngaged People Become more engaged; others got interestedRelationship Challenges didn’t go away, but most got used to the concept

ROUND 3: 2012 – 2014

Internal & external feedback found the report to be too detailed – so we reduced and simplified...

• Canopy Coverage (existing % to the goal %)• Overall Tree Health (% expressed in iTree Eco)• City-Wide Tree Planting (# planted vs. goal #)• Tree Protection & Replacement (per City tree laws)

LESSONS LEARNED…

Ask Four Scientists how to measure tree canopy and you’ll get four different answersMessage Simplification is ongoing – and criticalWe Will Always be Challenged by goal timelines – trees are not a short-term endeavor! Dissemination is Critical to success This Instrument must be looked at in terms of it being a marathon, not a sprint

IMPACTS

2008 – Canopy Goal Launched by CT• No one really cared (sound familiar?)• The City did not want it (understandably)• The Mayor at the time was not focused on trees• But.. The Tree Report Card exposed it year after year

2013 – Mayor Vince Gray Launches Sustainable DC Plan • Everyone knew about the 40% canopy goal from the Tree

Report Card – year after year (after year, after year…)• 40% was adopted almost immediately

IMPACTS5000 riparian whip plantings excluded in this 2011 count for consistency

The City’s Yearly Planting goal changed in 2013 from 8,600 t/yr to 10,600 t/yr

Trees Planted

IMPACTS

Overall Grade

YEAR GRADE2008 B2009 B-2010 C2011 INC.2012 B-2013 B-2014 B-

Tree Protection Sub-Grades

YEARPROTECT GRADE

2008 C2009 C+2010 F2011 INC.2012 F2013 D-

IMPACTS

Tree Protection Legislative Actions Complete or in Progress• Revise mitigation alternatives (complete)• Update fees and fines for tree removals (in process)• Reduce the size limit of protected trees (in process)• Redefine agency authorities to better care for and plant trees on

public lands other than street trees (in process)• Create an Urban Forest Council to coordinate activities of the

public and private sector to improve resource use and efficiencies & impacts (in process)

• Others…

THE TREE REPORT CARD…

Is NOT…• A Precision instrument• Golden ticket to mission attainment• Short-term endeavor

IS…• Guide to track general progress toward an identified end• Tool to encourage coordinated action, awareness & support• Long-term commitment

THE TREE REPORT CARD IS…PROGRESS NOT POISON, AND…

A CHALLENGE WORTH PURSUING