(Washington, DC) With intense summer heat once again impacting the survival of young trees, the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Administration (DDOT Trees) seeks to continue its successful Canopy Keepers tree adoption program by engaging more residents and businesses in watering the District’s young trees.

It takes less than ten minutes a week to fill the 10-gallon watering tub that the city provides free of charge to anyone who adopts street trees through DDOT’s Canopy Keepers program. Given that urban tree canopy maintenance is a critical aspect of the District’s Forest Action Plan, nearly 2,000 trees have already been adopted by residents, property managers, organizations and businesses in all eight wards.

“Summer heat and the urban environment create intense stress for street trees,” said John Thomas, Chief Forester for the District of Columbia. “While DDOT crews are watering over 4,500 new trees we planted this year on various District properties, we are calling on residents and businesses to do your part by providing trees near your home or office with the weekly water they need to become established in their initial years. Together, we can ensure that these taxpayer-funded assets provide their full environmental, economic and social return on investment for years to come.”

Please contact the District Department of Transportation at (202) 671-5133 or submit online at ddot.dc.gov/trees to become a Canopy Keeper, receive a free watering device and help street trees survive the summer.

The mission of the Urban Forestry Administration is to establish a full population of street trees within the District and to ensure that those street trees are maintained in a healthy and safe condition. UFA has 19 certified arborists on staff who are responsible for issuing permits, enforcing regulations and caring for approximately 140,000 trees throughout the city.