New contract may help health of trees By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
A recent change to the District’s contracts for the planting and maintenance of city street trees may help newly planted trees survive and make it easier for officials to ensure that work is being done well, according to a group that works to improve the D.C. tree canopy. The Urban Forestry Administration, the office within the D.C. Department of Transportation responsible for street trees, has broken up its single citywide tree contract into four — with two wards per contract — and awarded each to C & D Tree Service of Vienna, Va.
Besides the easier supervision that the department says will come with the smaller contracts — with arborists responsible for particular wards overseeing that area’s trees — the new deal requires that newly planted trees be watered monthly for a year and that trees that die because of neglect or poor planting practices be replaced at no charge, said Deborah Shapley, president of the Restore Mass Ave group. “The watering of these new trees is essential for them to survive,� said Shapley, whose organization is primarily focused on trees in the Massachusetts Avenue corridor from Dupont Circle to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Shapley said
she has also seen trees die because their roots were carelessly wrapped when they were planted, choking the trees as they grew. Shapley said that although her group is focused on a particular area, trees are important throughout the District. “The city needs these trees in street areas, but it does no good and wastes taxpayer money if they plant new trees that then die in a few years because of improper planting or improper care,� she said. Urban Forestry officials were unavailable for comment, but Transportation Department spokesperson John Lisle said in an e-mail that the group’s information was correct.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 6 4 28(&''
THE CURRENT
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The week ahead Wednesday, Feb. 9
The D.C. Council Committee on Public Works and Transportation will hold a public hearing on the Winter Sidewalk Safety Amendment Act of 2011. The hearing will begin at 1 p.m. in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Thursday, Feb. 10
The D.C. Council Committee on Health will hold a public hearing on the Athletic Concussion Protection Act of 2011. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. ■The D.C. Patients’ Cooperative will hold a town-hall meeting on the city’s Medical Cannabis Program at 7 p.m. in Prince Hall at All Souls Unitarian Church, 16th and Harvard streets NW.
Friday, Feb. 11
The D.C. Council Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs will hold a public oversight roundtable on
Pepco’s reliability and restoration efforts after the Jan. 26 snowstorm. The hearing will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Tuesday, Feb. 15
The Chevy Chase Citizens Association will hold its regular meeting, which will feature a legislative update by Ward 4 D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser and an opening reception for the “Celebrating Artists in Our Community� exhibition. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Ave. NW.
Wednesday, Feb. 23
The Current Newspapers and The Georgetown Dish will hold a candidates forum for the at-large D.C. Council seat. Invited participants are Sekou Biddle, Patrick Mara, Vincent Orange and Jacque Patterson. The forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the lounge at the Social Safeway, 1855 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
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