Tree Report Cards: Progress or Poison?
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The document discusses the mission and goals of restoring, enhancing, and protecting the tree canopy of Washington D.C. It outlines Casey Trees' efforts through multiple rounds of a "Tree Report Card" to track progress towards a goal of 40% tree canopy coverage by 2032. The report card helped raise awareness and engagement from citizens and politicians, and impacted legislation to better protect and care for the city's trees. While an imperfect measure, the report card serves as a guide to track general progress over the long term towards the identified canopy coverage goal.
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Tree Report Cards: Progress or Poison?
- 1. Restore, Enhance and Protect the Tree Canopy of our Nation’s Capital
- 2. TREE REPORT CARD PROGRESS OR POISON?
- 3. REFORESTING AN AMERICAN CITY MISSION RESTORE, ENHANCE, PROTECT THE TREE CANOPY OF OUR NATION’S CAPITAL MOTTO CONNECT PEOPLE TO TREES, THROUGH TREES, AND TO CASEY TREES GOAL – 40% TREE CANOPY BY 2032
- 5. WHY BOTHER? Nationally, we’re all grappling with the same issue… 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% Year 1 Year 2 Tree Cover Nowak & Greenfeld; Urban Forestry & Greening
- 6. WHY BOTHER? Locally – in 2005 – we asked What are we trying to achieve; how do we track progress; and, how do we know when we’ve arrived?
- 7. ROUND 1: 2008 INAUGURAL YEAR Because there were no city-wide canopy goal(s), we compared DC to other cities as follows: • Canopy Coverage • Overall Tree Health • Tree Planting • Tree Protection & Replacement • Public Awareness of Tree-Related Issues (patterned after the USFS metrics for State UF programs)
- 8. LESSONS LEARNED – CONS… Several Key Relationships were unintentionally nuked Results Are Based on BOTH public and private efforts, but many did not (still do not) see it this way Without a Canopy Goal the results were weakened Internal Expectations were varied and challenging Calling it a “Report Card” might not have been the best idea
- 9. LESSONS LEARNED – PROS… Several New Relationships were forged Public Voice Was Given to a relatively unknown issue Most Everyone Understood the concept of a “Report Card” A Baseline Was Established – no longer would the importance of the City’s trees be something people forgot
- 10. ROUND 2: 2009 – 2011 With a Canopy Goal in place, the measurements were clearer and specific to DC: • Canopy Coverage (existing % to the goal %) • Overall Tree Health (% expressed in iTree Eco) • City-Wide Tree Planting (# planted vs. goal #) • Tree Protection & Replacement (per City tree laws) • Public Awareness of Tree-Related Issues (patterned after the USFS metrics for State UF programs)
- 11. LESSONS LEARNED… With the Canopy Goal in place, the metrics graded off of benchmarks for the City Measuring Public Awareness correctly would have been cost prohibitive; how we did it was too general to be of use A Short, Visual-Centric report a far better mechanism Engaged People Become more engaged; others got interested Relationship Challenges didn’t go away, but most got used to the concept
- 12. ROUND 3: 2012 – 2014 Internal & external feedback found the report to be too detailed – so we reduced and simplified... • Canopy Coverage (existing % to the goal %) • Overall Tree Health (% expressed in iTree Eco) • City-Wide Tree Planting (# planted vs. goal #) • Tree Protection & Replacement (per City tree laws)
- 13. LESSONS LEARNED… Ask Four Scientists how to measure tree canopy and you’ll get four different answers Message Simplification is ongoing – and critical We Will Always be Challenged by goal timelines – trees are not a short-term endeavor! Dissemination is Critical to success This Instrument must be looked at in terms of it being a marathon, not a sprint
- 14. IMPACTS 2008 – Canopy Goal Launched by CT • No one really cared (sound familiar?) • The City did not want it (understandably) • The Mayor at the time was not focused on trees • But.. The Tree Report Card exposed it year after year 2013 – Mayor Vince Gray Launches Sustainable DC Plan • Everyone knew about the 40% canopy goal from the Tree Report Card – year after year (after year, after year…) • 40% was adopted almost immediately
- 15. IMPACTS 5000 riparian whip plantings excluded in this 2011 count for consistency The City’s Yearly Planting goal changed in 2013 from 8,600 t/yr to 10,600 t/yr
- 16. IMPACTS Overall Grade YEAR GRADE 2008 B 2009 B- 2010 C 2011 INC. 2012 B- 2013 B- 2014 B- Tree Protection Sub-Grades YEAR PROTECT GRADE 2008 C 2009 C+ 2010 F 2011 INC. 2012 F 2013 D-
- 17. IMPACTS Tree Protection Legislative Actions Complete or in Progress • Revise mitigation alternatives (complete) • Update fees and fines for tree removals (in process) • Reduce the size limit of protected trees (in process) • Redefine agency authorities to better care for and plant trees on public lands other than street trees (in process) • Create an Urban Forest Council to coordinate activities of the public and private sector to improve resource use and efficiencies & impacts (in process) • Others…
- 18. THE TREE REPORT CARD… Is NOT… • A Precision instrument • Golden ticket to mission attainment • Short-term endeavor IS… • Guide to track general progress toward an identified end • Tool to encourage coordinated action, awareness & support • Long-term commitment
- 19. THE TREE REPORT CARD IS… PROGRESS NOT POISON, AND…