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The river birch at the 500 block of 2nd Street SE is
thriving and makes a beautiful frame for the typical
Hill townhouse. Photo: Rindy O’Brien
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On September 19 and 20, 2009, more than 50 people from across the Washington metro area gathered at the Capitol South Metro Station to join leading tree experts for a tree walk around Capitol Hill. The walk was part of more than 120 free Walking Town DC tours, presented by Cultural Tourism DC, which took place across the district.
Capitol Hill’s own, Ed and Margaret Missiean, founders of Trees for Capitol Hill, created the tour in conjunction with Casey Trees of Washington, DC. Margaret is fondly known by all as the “Tree Lady” of Capitol Hill, and is responsible for the care and stewardship of the street box trees throughout our neighborhoods. She carefully worked with Carol Herwig, Volunteer Coordinator for Casey Trees, to map out a route that displayed a variety of trees of different ages and maturity, as well as trees under a range of management and planning schemes. Carol led my tour on Sunday, but often noted that the real expert and her mentor on the Hill’s trees is Margaret. As Margaret likes to say, “Over the years, I have planted many, many trees.”
With over 150 trees spotted on the tour, this article has been divided into two parts to give adequate history and description of Capitol Hill trees. This month, we concentrate on street boxes and trees, and next month, the trees in three of our parks -- Folger, Providence and Garfield.
Street Trees
The two-hour walk began at First Street SE at the Capitol Hill Metro and proceeded up C Street, across 3rd Street in front of Saint Peters’ Church and over to Folger Park for the first park stop of the day. This first leg of the walk emphasized the role of the city’s tree visionary, Alexander “Boss” Shepherd. In 1873, he began a stunning, three-year whirlwind of spending and construction. Shepherd presided over the building of 260 miles of streets, 183 miles of sewers, and similarly dazzling lengths of water and gas mains and sidewalks, as well as ornamental touches, such as public fountains. And, he also planted 60,000 trees across the city, all along its new streets. And yes, Mr. Shepherd conveniently owned a plant nursery where government contracts may have been placed to obtain these trees; but his attention to detail and vision left the city with a very well laid out landscape plan.
As a result, each DC street was planted with just one kind of tree like the elm, maple, linden, or hickory tree. Gingko trees, like the ones found on Duddington Place, SE, were used for narrower streets. The symmetry of using just one type of tree created the lovely tree-lined streets that helped to bring beauty to the nation’s Capitol after it had been badly destroyed during the Civil War. The downside, as we would later experience, is if disease attacks a certain kind of tree, like the American elm, then entire street trees and canopies can be wiped out. Also, planting all the same kind of trees means that their life expectancy is on the same cycle, so the trees mature and must be replaced all at the same time.
Elm and Maple Trees
First Street SE is an elm street, although many have been lost over the years. In front of the Congressional Club and Republican Party Headquarters remain some great specimens of the American Elm (Ulmus Americana.) Dutch elm disease hit the Hill in the 1970’s, and it has been reported that more than 77 million trees died from the fungus disease carried from tree to tree by beetles. Over the past twenty-five years, a scientist based at Beltsville’s U.S. National Arboretum laboratories worked on cloning disease-resistant elm trees. Dr. Alden Townsend produced two varieties, the ‘Valley Forge,” and ‘New Harmony.” Some of these new trees are being replanted in spaces that once hosted the American elm here on the Hill. Another new elm, the Princeton elm, is also being planted. Arborists are very optimistic that these new breeds will long grace our city landscapes.
Just around the corner from First Street in the 100 block of C St., SE are red, silver, and Norway maples, definitely throwbacks to the Boss Shepherd plan. Currently, the maples are not being replanted by the city arborists because they tend to be weak-wooded and need quite a bit of water. But their vibrant colors in fall still make them a popular tree. And the maple seeds that look like dancers doing splits have entertained many a Hill child bored by standing and waiting for a parent to finish up a conversation with neighbor or friend.
New Street Tree Varieties
Choosing the right kind of tree for the street tree box is crucial to the success rate. Throughout the two-hour walk, Carol Herwig pointed out tree boxes where trees had been well-cared for by Hill homeowners, and neglected tree boxes where the tree was half the size it should be, or sadly dead and brown. Margaret and Carol work to identify people, businesses, and families on each of the blocks where street trees are being replanted to enlist them in the volunteer efforts to water and care for the trees. On the 300 block of Second St., SE, a neighbor who had spent his summer watering the two-year old dawn redwood planted in the tree box in front of his house, came out to hear what Carol had to say about his tree, as the tour group passed by.
The dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is one of the exciting new trees to be introduced to street boxes, and early monitoring of the fast-growing conifer tree is very positive. The redwoods do need a lot of water in their first two years of planting, and Margaret has recruited a good volunteer team on Second Street. To help with the watering effort, Trees on the Hill and Casey Trees provide neighbors with the green alligator bags that you often see draped around new trees or the newer style brown, donut shaped bag that holds 25 gallons of water as opposed the 20 gallons of the gator bag. Hill residents often become very innovative in finding ways to haul the gallons of water needed from their homes to the street. Without these individual efforts, the chance of the trees surviving is small.
River birches are another tree that is being planted around the Hill in tree boxes and public spaces to diversify the tree portfolio. Carol noted that Casey Trees’ staff feels the jury may still be out on the viability of these trees. Last year’s plantings have been sluggish to leaf out, and the trees demand for water becomes a maintenance matter especially in its first year. Yet, where the river birch has taken root, like at the corner of 5th and 2nd Streets, it thrives. Its gnarly bark and swaying shape fill the corner with beauty.
Capitol Hill’s street trees and boxes are as integral to the Hill’s neighborhood character as its iconic buildings. Taking time to identify the different kinds of trees from block to block is just another way to become a Hill insider. To learn more about specific trees, go to www.caseytrees.org. If you are interested in helping plant some new trees on the Hill, on October 17th from 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Casey Trees will be planting at the Sasha Bruce House at 1022 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Call 202-833-4010 to sign up. |
