Tree Planting and Care | Pruning and Monitoring | Tree Box Improvement

Treecare Workshops are offered only to TreeKeeper Communities of seven or more members on a block. By becoming a D.C. TreeKeeper Community, you receive one Treecare Workshop FREE, but most of our members enroll in all three workshops to make the most of their TreeKeeper experience.

Sign up for a TreeCare Workshop, today!

Spring and Fall Treecare: Planting & Care (offered Oct-April)
If your block or community association commits to helping plant, water, weed, and mulch all of the street trees on your block or neighborhood district for a period of three years, we provide:

• Training in tree planting and care
• Shade trees for street tree pits, pocket parks, or front and side yards (street and park tree species chosen by the UFA or DPR)
• TreeGators™ for each new and young tree
• 100 feet of garden hose
• 2 bags of mulch per new tree
• Tools and planting assistance
• Ongoing support in the form of seasonal newsletters and site visits

Minimum participants: 7 TreeKeeper households per block. If you are not already a TreeKeeper, download our Membership form or enroll online!

Winter Treecare: Pruning and Monitoring (offered Nov-Feb):
Our winter monitoring and pruning walks include the following:

• Identifying tree species in the neighborhood, including invasive trees such as Ailanthus and White Mulberry.
• Identifying dangerous branches, fungus galls, and other problems with neighborhood street trees.
• Learning basic hand pruning for air flow, safety and aesthetics.
• Identifying tree pits that have problems such as old stumps, highly-compacted soils, heavy weeds, invasive vines, or over-height tree pit guards that bury the root collar in soil and mulch.
• Planning for planting and remediation projects when the weather is nice again.

Minimum participants: 7 TreeKeeper households per block. If you are not already a TreeKeeper, download our Membership form or enroll online!

Summer Treecare: Tree Box Improvement (offered Mar-Nov)
Tree assessment and rescue workshops includes hands-on learning about how to:

• Safely aerate (loosen for air and water) and amend (fertilize) compacted tree pit soil
• Construct timber pit guards or organize the purchase of ironworks (if appropriate and desired by the community).
• Take apart tree pit guards that are harmful to the tree.
• Install personalized dedication plaques to new tree pit guards
• Identify the root collar and understand the importance of planting street trees at grade level.
• Properly spread mulch, understanding why you must never bury the root collar or trunk.
• Properly and appropriately plant perennials such as liriope and lambs-ear.
• Remove invasive species such as Japanese wisteria and English ivy.
• Remove poison oak and ivy where it presents a public safety hazard.
• Properly water trees so they survive D.C.'s summer heat.

Minimum participants: 7 TreeKeeper households per block. If you are not already a TreeKeeper, download our Membership form or enroll online!