D.C. Plants New, Tries to Save Existing Trees

With springtime comes anticipation of blooming gardens and leafy green trees. The federal government doesn't have quite the same excitement, we would guess, based on their recent slashing of the U.S. National Arboretum's budget, as the Washington Post reported this weekend. The $2 million eliminated from next year's budget could drastically cut public programming, research on rare and new species of plants, and permanently stall much needed expansion projects.

Even worse:

Supporters of the arboretum say the cuts threaten more than the park: The arboretum is an essential part of plans to revitalize the District's east end and clean up the Anacostia River. The 446-acre botanical park occupies a vast and strategic tract, bounded by the Anacostia and the major arteries of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road. Along with the Langston Golf Course, the Anacostia River Park and the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, it is part of an 850-acre green space, half the size of Rock Creek Park.

This isn't the first year the Arboretum has had their funding cut. Perhaps not the most glamorous of Washington, D.C.'s institutions, some folks note that if it had the funding of the U.S. Botanic Garden, they could finish a renovation similar to the one the Garden completed in 2001, which attracts a third more visitors now.

On the flip side, our local efforts to thicken up D.C.'s green canopy have been expanding. The organization Casey Trees offers many opportunities for interested folks to learn about tree planting and volunteer around the city, and even offers up goodies such as free trees and rebates.

Last Saturday, Casey Trees launched a pilot program, giving out free trees to Ward 5 residents. Volunteer Jessica Hanff said the response was intense -- they left to restock their inventory twice after running out, and gave away over 100 trees for local folks to plant in their yards. They hope to track the success of the planted trees, and expand the program to other wards in the future.