“a plan for planting an additional 3,000 trees in the District in 2016”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Jim Havard

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Robert A. Vogel, Director of the National Park Service (NPS), National Capital Region, and other local and regional leaders at the District’s first-ever Tree Summit hosted by the District’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) at American University.

At the Summit, Mayor Bowser announced the launch of Canopy 3,000, a short-term public-private partnership aimed at expanding the number of trees planted on private property and public spaces throughout the District. The 11 members of Canopy 3,000 will work together to develop a plan for planting an additional 3,000 trees in the District in 2016. Mayor Bowser announced the District would contribute $400,000 in seed funding, enough to plant over 1,300 trees.

Mayor Bowser also announced the establishment of the Urban Forestry Advisory Committee to expand coordination and assist the District in meeting its Sustainable DC goal to achieve a 40 percent healthy tree canopy by 2032.

“It takes many environmental leaders, inside and outside of District government, to plant and protect one of our most valuable resources – our trees,” said Mayor Bowser, “Our efforts to create a platform like the Tree Summit will make us more effective in protecting and expanding our tree canopy. Together, we will continue to work toward achieving our Sustainable DC goals and make the District a greener and healthier city.”

Bob Vogel, Director of the National Park Service National Capital Region attended the Summit to announce the National Park Service contribution to the Canopy 3,000 initiative. With National Parks comprising nearly 16 percent of District land, the National Park Service plays a major role in helping the District meet its environmental goals.

“In honor of the National Park Service centennial in 2016, we will plant 1,000 trees to celebrate 100 years,” National Park Service Regional Director Bob Vogel said. “The National Park Service is pleased to make a leading pledge in support of Canopy 3,000. This significant step will help us advance some of our most critical shared goals like reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality, and restoring the Anacostia River corridor.”

At the 2015 Tree Summit, DOEE Director Tommy Wells announced the completion of a Memorandum of Understanding between DOEE and DDOT to ensure coordination between the agencies on tree policy, programs, and planting efforts.

“Successfully achieving our Sustainable DC tree canopy and climate-related goals relies heavily on interagency coordination,” Wells said. “This MOU represents significant progress for our agencies as we work towards increasing our tree canopy and reducing carbon emissions to improve air quality, manage stormwater pollution, and work to mitigate the effects of climate change.”

“While we continue to make strides with street tree planting, and the use of technology to better track our tree canopy, we look forward to working more closely with DOEE and our other partners to achieve our health and environmental goals through enhanced coordination,” said DDOT Director Leif A. Dormsjo.

Canopy 3,000 members include: DOEE, DDOT, NPS, District Department of Parks and Recreation, Casey Trees, Washington Parks and People, AECOM, American University, American Society of Landscape Architects, DC Baptist Convention, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The Urban Forestry Advisory Committee will help identify ways to remove barriers to planting trees, to educate residents and businesses on the benefits of trees, and will provide an opportunity for local and federal officials, utilities and experts in the field to exchanged ideas and best practices.”