DC’s Trees Need Your Support

by Mark Buscaino, Executive Director, Casey Trees

The Urban Forest Preservation Act, passed in 2002 with a wide coalition of government, non-profit and individual supporters, set the groundwork for preserving the District’s tree canopy.  For those wishing to remove trees over 18” in diameter (56” in circumference), they must first either pay a fee (or fine) into the Tree Fund,  or replant a specified number of replacement trees, to make up for the canopy lost.

The Tree Fund was intended to be a “safe” place to deposit any fees/fines which were then to be drawn upon for planting replacement trees.  The Act states that moneys in the Fund shall not revert to the General Fund of the District of Columbia for any purpose.

Despite these safeguards, DC’s FY 2011 budget emptied the $539,000 in the Tree Fund and deposited it into the General Fund.  That means 2000 trees will not be planted, and those who contributed to the Fund under the assumption that their moneys would be used to plant trees have been mislead.

This is a lesson that we should not forget.  Trees and the legal structures created to preserve them are only as effective as the residents who care about them.  To that end, I ask that you read our “Call to Action” on page 4 of Casey Trees’ July/August Newsletter.  Contact your elected representative and let them know that trees are important to your neighborhood, and that the Tree Fund moneys should be restored.  DC is known as the City of Trees – let’s keep it that way.