Spotlight: Casey Trees — Growing a Canopy for Climate

Casey Trees didn’t just show up for DC Climate Week — they stood tall. As a nonprofit committed to restoring, enhancing, and protecting the tree canopy of the nation’s capital, Casey Trees understands that equitable climate action often starts right at street level. Whether it’s planting trees to cool overheated neighborhoods, educating residents about urban forestry, or influencing policy to protect DC’s green spaces, they’re reimagining what resilience looks like in our urban environment.

We sat down with Vince Drader, Director of Communications at Casey Trees, to talk about their vision, their role in the community, and what it means to grow a movement that’s literally rooted in place.

Melinda Peters, Director of Education at Casey Trees speaking on the DC Climate Week Main Stage during Urban Development Day

Casey Trees has been planting the seeds of urban resilience for years. Why did you choose to get involved in DC Climate Week — and what did you hope to bring to the conversation?

We were thrilled to be a part of the inaugural DC Climate Week–DC is the “City of Trees” after all. Washington, DC was planned for green space and trees have always been a symbol of our city. Whether it’s the cherry blossoms on the tidal basin, the elms that line the National Mall, the beech trees in Rock Creek Park, or the maples and oaks that line our streets, there are over 200 different tree species that make up our urban tree canopy, accounting for over 2 million trees.

But trees are more than just a symbol or a decoration. They are one of the best solutions we have to combat climate change. Trees clean our air and water, curb urban heat island effects, provide shade to reduce energy costs, mitigate flood risks, increase biodiversity, and support wildlife – all while sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gases. Not to mention the human health and societal benefits of trees: Trees have been shown to improve our physical and mental health, lower asthma rates, calm traffic, reduce noise pollution, and build community. We gather under trees in parks with family, friends, and neighbors for picnics, cookouts, recreation, and relaxation. Trees aren’t only essential to our planet, they are critical to our well-being.

In a way, trees are nature’s technology and innovation. We often take them for granted, especially in a world where sustainable solutions and eco-products are marketed to us constantly. We forget that some solutions already exist. If trees were “invented” today–a carbon-sequestering, air-purifying, water-filtering super machine–elected representatives would line up around the block to install them everywhere. But the solution is already here. That’s why protecting the trees we have in place today and reforesting areas in need is an essential solution to climate change. 

This is what we strive to bring to broader climate conversations, such as the ones we had during DC Climate Week.

Why is nature so critical to climate planning in a city like DC?

In a city setting, having “nearby nature” is critical not only for climate planning but also for our everyday health and happiness. At Casey Trees, we consider not only the quantity of nature in the district and achieving our 40% tree canopy goal by 2032, but also the quality of nature available to residents. Does every resident have access to a nearby park? Can everyone experience the beauty and benefits of trees? Are there a variety of tree species being planted? These questions are essential in the city setting, where nature is often measured in square feet instead of acres.

However, Washington, DC is not alone in its challenges to preserve nature, green space, and tree canopy. Most urban areas are seeing a decline in tree canopy. This is in part because cities aren’t planting, caring for, and protecting trees like we need to, but it’s also because we aren’t preserving the space where trees are already rooted or where they could be planted.

People often ask us what the biggest threat to our tree canopy is, and hands down, it's development. Once a tree, forest, or natural area is taken down, paved over, or built upon, it seldom returns to nature. This is especially true in cities, where land costs are high, populations increase, and space is at a premium. 

This year, Casey Trees became DC’s only citywide, accredited land trust, working across all eight wards of DC to preserve and conserve our land, green space, and natural areas. We believe conserving land is paramount to a sustainable future. Because if we don’t plan for trees and preserve our green space, they will cease to exist.

Many conscious and unconscious forces are eroding our access to nature. We must all consider what we can do to prioritize nature and make it a larger part of our city planning processes.

Casey Trees is deeply rooted in local neighborhoods. How do you balance grassroots community engagement with policy and systems change?

We’d be hard-pressed to think of a time when policy and systems change wasn’t fueled by grassroots community engagement. It is a balance, but we focus chiefly on working with communities to plant, care for, and protect trees from the ground up. If the community doesn’t see the value of trees, how can our policymakers?

Right now we’re advocating for the support of a couple policy changes that are in front of the DC Council: The Tree Enhancement Amendment Act of 2025, which will increase the number of trees protected throughout the city, and the Natural Areas Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025, which will support management of our city forest patches and natural areas. Passing both acts would be incredibly impactful. 

See our annual tree report card to learn more about these pieces of legislation, the current state of our tree canopy, and our complete list of recommendations: caseytrees.org/treereportcard2024

What’s one story or moment from DC Climate Week that left a lasting impression on you?

For the last day of DC Climate Week, we worked with a bunch of partners to engage a group of middle school students from a nearby public school. Our partners at the Zenith Community Arts Foundation (ZCAF) brought their mobile woodshop on-site to introduce students to wood reuse, woodworking, and art using natural materials. The hosts for the day, the Emerson Collective at Sycamore & Oak, worked with vendors and organized participants to speak with students about sustainable business practices and environmental initiatives. 

The students had many great questions and were truly excited and engaged throughout the day. There were learning moments on both ends – for students and conference-goers. You could see lightbulbs going off, “a-ha” moments, and breakthroughs on every interaction. I’ll never forget one interaction when talking with a student about DC’s diverse tree species and greater urban forest. I pointed out the willow oaks and American sycamore trees lining the side of the event venue. Without missing a beat, one kid exclaimed, “OH! That’s why this place is called Sycamore and Oak! That’s cool!”

Vince Drader, Director of Communications at Casey Trees, speaking with students at Sycamore & Oak during Urban Development Day

What’s next for Casey Trees — and how can people get involved?

Summertime is quickly approaching. It’s the time of year we pivot from planting trees to watering trees. Young trees (trees planted within the last three years) can need up to 25 gallons of water per week to survive and thrive, depending on their size and species. So anyone can get out there and help water trees on their own property or street-side. You can go to caseytrees.org/water to learn more. 

And as always, DC residents can plant FREE trees in their communities, schools, and businesses, or on their own property. Our tree experts are consulting with residents now to plant trees this fall. Just go to caseytrees.org/free to submit an application.

To learn more about Casey Trees and join their efforts, visit caseytrees.org.