Young street trees with watering bags are thankfully a frequent site in Washington, DC.
During the last tree planting season in our nation's capital (October 2016 through April 2017), the city planted 8,200 trees, increasing urban tree canopy coverage of the District to 38 percent.
Overall, the District maintains more than 215,000 trees throughout the city. Therefore, it is understandable that during these periods of intense heat the District may not be able to water every.tree.every.day.
Enter an innovative new app and the dedicated and enthusiastic people of D.C. – through the D.C. Tree Watering App, which Mayor Muriel Bowser launched in June, users can locate trees in all eight wards that need watering, tag trees they water, and upload photos of the trees being watered. In addition, users can report trees in need of care (e.g. a tree has a beehive), and the Urban Forestry Division will review all reports to determine the best means of care for each tree. The app also includes a story map with information about tree species found throughout Washington, D.C.