Arrivals at the Anacostia River Festival on Saturday, May 16, in Anacostia Park, were greeted by a strange scene: a moving garden. More than a hundred people walked around carrying small, potted trees, a baby forest moving alongside the city’s river. It was an initiative by organizers together with Casey Trees, which gave away 150 saplings at the festival, part of a broader effort to expand DC’s tree canopy.
The festival is organized by Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) and the National Park Service (NPS). Attendees received two-gallon redbuds (Cercis canadensis) small enough to carry home. The trees are intended to extend the canopy beyond parks and into private yards and community spaces, said Casey Trees’ chief operating officer Robert Shaut.
If all 250 trees are planted, a new forest could spring up throughout the District in the next few years. Casey Trees is also collaborating with organizers of the 11th Street Bridge Park Project, where redbuds will line the path near the new amphitheater in green space on the east side of the project. “We’ll have 250 trees in the park and 250 trees outside the park,” said Scott Kratz, president and CEO of BBAR and founder of the 11th Street Bridge Park Project. “That’s just super exciting. Imagine the explosion of fall foliage on the bridge.”
The giveaway was part of a broader push by Casey Trees to expand the city’s canopy in partnership with NPS and community groups, including work in Lincoln, Stanton, Folger and Marion parks. Residents sponsored 37 individual trees for Lincoln Park, where volunteers gathered to plant them on April 4. Casey Trees will care for them through their most vulnerable years.
Casey Trees is also collaborating with NPS to launch “250 Years of America, 250 Trees for its Capital,” a campaign to plant 250 native and historic trees across federal parkland in Washington for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Something That Outlasts Us
On a recent spring morning in Lincoln Park, volunteers gathered with shovels and coffee as families clustered around marked plots. A toddler reclined against a young tree as it lay on the lawn waiting to be planted. By midmorning, dozens of trees were planted, each linked to a name, a memory or the hope that the park will be greener, cooler and more resilient.
The sponsorship model has resonated quickly on Capitol Hill, where parks like Lincoln and Stanton have long drawn community stewardship. “The neighbors that live around the Capitol Hill parks sponsored all the trees for their parks within weeks of our campaign launch,” said Casey Trees’ director of development Valerie Fitton-Kane.
Each tree represents a substantial investment. Casey Trees grows saplings at its farm in Berryville, Virginia, for two to three years until they are sturdy enough to survive compacted soil, heat and pollution. By the time they reach DC, they stand eight or nine feet tall. The full cost, including planting and two years of maintenance, runs about $500 per tree.
The two-year establishment period is critical. Crews return regularly to water, mulch and prune young trees, often using watering trucks to compensate for the lack of irrigation in sites like Lincoln Park. After that, survival rates climb sharply, with Casey Trees reporting success rates above 90%.
In Lincoln Park, the planting was designed as a community event. Teams of volunteers were guided by experienced leaders. Many volunteers are also sponsors, returning to plant the trees they funded. Casey Trees tracks each planting digitally, recording species, location and dedication. “Most of these trees are sponsored in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one,” said Fitton-Kane. “I sponsored a tree in honor of my own family, and my husband and kids helped me to plant it. That’s what many people are doing through this campaign ‒ it’s a celebration of the past, present and the future.”
Lance Hayden and his family sponsored a tree in Lincoln Park near their home after learning about Casey Trees and the importance of canopy to shade, air quality and psychological health. “We wanted to contribute to the canopy and maybe have something in the park that outlasts us.” It was more work than expected,” Hayden said, “but well worth it.”
The National Park Service determines planting locations. Casey Trees works with the agency to select suitable species while balancing historical accuracy with climate resilience. Attention to detail matters because trees are increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure in Washington, where rising temperatures and more intense storms strain aging systems. Trees provide shade, absorb stormwater and cool neighborhoods, particularly in areas with less canopy.
A Forest across the River
Nowhere is that more apparent than east of the river, where another partnership is taking shape. At the planned 11th Street Bridge Park, Casey Trees is working with the nonprofit building the park to incorporate more than 145 native trees into the design.
The park, which will span the Anacostia River, is expected to break ground in late 2026 or early 2027. Trees are literally and figuratively central to the plans. Landscape architects selected species ranging from red oaks and maples to dogwoods and hickories, aiming to create a layered canopy that changes with the seasons.
Since pedestrians and visitors on the bridge will be exposed to summer sun, shade is a necessity. Designers incorporated large planting boxes into the structure. It’s a significant challenge; engineers have to account for the weight of soil, water and root systems as well as wind exposure and drainage.
Casey Trees will donate the trees and assist with their maintenance, an in-kind contribution valued at about $60,000, BBAR’s Kratz said. The organization will also ensure that each tree is properly installed and positioned for long-term growth. “The fact that we can come in and plant over 145 new native trees and provide some shade, some access to nature and some beauty is absolutely key,” said Kratz. “In this sort of single intervention, we can improve residents’ physical, mental and economic well-being.”
That connection between trees and well-being has become a guiding principle for the project. In parts of DC, temperature differences between neighborhoods can reach more than 10 degrees, largely due to disparities in tree cover. Expanding the canopy, especially in underserved areas, is a way to address both environmental and health inequities. It’s part of the holistic goals of the Bridge Park effort, which extends into surrounding communities through urban farms and other planting initiatives.
“Imagine walking around the park in spring with dogwoods blooming,” said Kratz, “and then fast forward to the fall when the park will have an explosion of fall foliage.”
Shared Responsibility
Back on Capitol Hill, the Lincoln Park plantings offer an immediate change. The trees will take years to reach full height but already fill gaps left by aging or lost trees. The broader message is one of shared responsibility. Public funding for green space is limited, and projects like this rely on institutional support and individual contributions.
“Some people feel government should be solely responsible for maintaining public parks ‒ and I understand that view, since our tax dollars are meant to cover shared spaces,” acknowledged Casey Trees’ Fitton-Kane. “But there are many needs, and budgets are limited, so it’s wonderful when community members step up to fund improvements or pitch in directly, whether that’s watering trees or picking up trash. Lincoln Park is a great example of residents partnering with government entities like NPS and organizations like Casey Trees to make a public space healthier and more beautiful for everyone.”
Hundreds of trees in federal parks, more than a hundred on the future bridge and hundreds more distributed to residents could add up to nearly 650 new trees across the District in coming years. As one organizer put it, it is the beginnings of a small forest.
For now, the new trees stand as a reminder that even in a dense city change can grow from the ground up ‒ if you put down the roots.
Learn more about the Bridge Park and the Anacostia River Festival, and RSVP to attend, at www.buildingbridgesdc.org/arf/. Get more information on Casey Trees and how you can help grow the canopy at www.caseytrees.org.
