Environment Committee
Committee Chair: Beth Purcell
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Duties: Addresses environmental issues affecting the Historic District, from trees to traffic, trash to buses, parking to sidewalks.
CHRS Street Tree Forum to be Held December 2, 2008
Street trees (the trees between the sidewalk and the street) are essential to the health and beauty of Capitol Hill. Many members want to learn more about caring for trees, their watering and maintenance needs, and the resources offered by DC government and non-profit organizations. The Street Tree Forum will be a panel discussion which will include representatives from the city’s Urban Forestry Administration, Casey Trees, and Trees For Capitol Hill, Inc.
- Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)
- Place: St. Peter’s Parish Hall, 2nd and C Streets, SE
- Contact: Beth Purcell, eap1@mindspring.com
Help Protect A Newly Planted Tree
Tree Forum Announced for December 2
The District’s Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) and Casey Trees are inviting residents to join in a new pilot program that requests citizens’ help in the watering of newly planted, young trees in the District by requesting a free “ooze tube.”
An ooze tube is a watering bag specially designed to help young trees establish themselves in under-irrigated environments. All that is needed to install the tube is a hammer (to pound in the stake), a safety pin (to create the drip holes). A video demonstration is available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXT_1FeAnRc). Instructions are also printed on the tube itself, but the video suggests a couple of modifications to those instructions as summarized below.
The first step is to clear an area around the tree trunk of weeds, grass and anything that might puncture the tube. Mulching the cleared ground is a good idea as it will help the soil retain moisture and deter weeds. The ooze tube is simple to install: unwrap the plastic tube from around the stake, wrap the tube around the tree in a U shape, thread the stake through the slits in the tube and pound in the stake about a foot and a half from the trunk and on the up-hill side. Next, fill the tube with water, poke three small holes in the bottom with the safety pin, and you're done. Water will then drain out slowly over the course of the week.
After that, all that is needed is for someone to fill the bag every 1 to 2 weeks — depending on rain — from June till October. During the winter the tubes should be emptied and stored so they can be used again the following year. The bags should be used over the next 2 to 3 years as the young trees begin to establish themselves.
To order your free ooze tube, first identify the young tree you are going to adopt, then contact Casey Trees at their website (www.caseytrees.org/programs/ CFOozeTubeCampaign.html). You may also call 202-671-5133 to request an ooze tube. Participants will need to provide the approximate address of the young street tree being adopted and an address where the ooze tube should be delivered.
CHRS will be holding a community forum on street trees on December 2, 2008, time and place TBA. UFA, Casey Trees and Trees For Capitol Hill will provide information on caring for street trees.
Committee Chairs and Descriptions
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