The District of Columbia (“D.C.”) has a relatively long history of being known for its trees, stemming back to the planting of 60,000 trees initiated by the last Governor of D.C., Alexander “Boss” Shepard in the 1870s. While his tenure was brief, his vision of D.C. being the “City of Trees” endured as tree planting efforts were continued by the Federal Government, National Park agencies, citizens, and leaders such as Lady Bird Johnson. (See City of Trees by Melanie Choukas-Bradley 3rd Edition.) Today, the goal of preserving and increasing D.C.’s tree population continues. One of D.C.’s top sustainability goals is to increase the tree canopy of the city from 35% to 40% by 2032. (https://doee.dc.gov/service/canopy-3000.) In furtherance of this goal,…
