Bates Area Civic Association

End of Summer Call to Water Street Trees

Adopt Street Trees and Receive Free Watering Rings

(Washington, DC) With a long summer of intense heat and below-average precipitation, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is once again asking residents and businesses to help water the District’s young street trees.

It takes less than ten minutes a week to fill the 10-gallon watering ring that the city provides free of charge to anyone who adopts street trees through DDOT’s Canopy Keepers program. More than 3,000 young trees have already been adopted by residents, property managers, organizations and businesses in all eight wards. To adopt a tree and receive a free tree ring, visit ddot.dc.gov/canopykeepers online, scan a Quick Response code hanging on any tree or call 311.

“Summer heat and the urban environment create intense stress for street trees,” said John Thomas, Chief Forester for the District of Columbia. “DDOT crews are providing a base of water support to more than 4,200 trees we planted this year and will do the same for thousands more new trees we are preparing to plant this fall. To ensure all these young trees receive the consistent water they need to thrive, however, we are asking for the public’s help.”

Crews with DDOT’s Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) place 25-gallon tree watering rings under new trees in a neighborhood, fill them with water, and then move the tree rings to another location once the water has drained. Assistance from residents and businesses will ensure more trees get watered and survive.

The tree rings DDOT uses last multiple years, install easily, and do not press against the tree trunk in a manner that can promote disease and rot. Adoptees are responsible for filling their tree rings at least once a week from spring through fall, keeping their tree rings clean and flowing, and storing them between weekly uses to avoid standing water and the collection of trash inside the rings. If you see any clogged or unmaintained tree rings on street trees, please call 311 to report their location and DDOT will address the issue.

To see where new trees have been planted in the District see the online map.*