Inside America’s billion-dollar quest to squeeze more trees into cities (2024)

In a forest, a large tree like this would be part of a sprawling scaffold supporting thousands of species from floor to canopy, she notes, an ecosystem far removed from the paved-over terrain out the car window.

Yet, even in this area of Washington, D.C., trees sustain life. They shield city dwellers from heat waves and storms growing increasingly punishing with climate change. Urban groves bolster bird populations at a time when human activity is decimating them, studies show. And, of course, trees grow by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere.

For the endeavor to bear fruit, arborists such as Elliott must ensure millions of trees thrive in less-than-ideal conditions: under power lines and around utilities and foundations; in compact polluted soil, beset with floods and droughts.

And, perhaps most importantly, within the confines of a homeowner’s taste.

“We have to choose the right species in places where they can be left alone,” Elliott says. “So, that means the tree needs to be happy in its spot, and the person needs to be happy with the tree.”

For one day, I follow her to learn what it takes for new trees to thrive in the city.

We pull up to the first house — a slim two-story duplex in Ward 8 — the southern tip of the District. Elliott, about 5 feet tall, strides toward the door in a high-visibility orange vest. The owner has arranged for this consultation, hoping to receive a free tree from a local program.

The federal government has deemed most of this area to be underinvested and overburdened by pollution. D.C.’s Casey Trees is getting $9.1 million out of the billion dollars earmarked for urban forests by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Compared with other cities, D.C. is green. Casey Trees reports that nearly 37 percent of the city is covered by trees. Much of the remaining planting space is in people’s yards.

The owner shows us to the backyard, a 15-foot-wide box. There’s no room for a large canopy tree — the kind that under the program’s rules would come free. A tree that size requires a 20-foot radius of clear earth to fulfill its potential.

So, there will be no free tree assigned here.

The homeowner can get a rebate on a smaller tree that would provide an intermediate forest layer for wildlife and tolerate shade, such as an American hornbeam or a flowering dogwood. But the owner would need to do what Casey Trees normally does: Buy it, transport it, plant it and prune it.

“It’s not easy to navigate planting a tree if you’re not in that world for 40 hours a week,” Elliott says.

Trees to be planted: 0

The next house, also in Ward 8, has a 30-foot clearing in the backyard — enough room. Next, we consider the ground. Roots meandering into a house’s foundation is a worry for many homeowners.

“We work really hard to select species that do well in the built environment,” Elliott says. “So, I’m not going to plant something 15 feet from your house that has aggressive roots.”

Elliott has a master’s in forest restoration and conservation. She says the public often associates arborists with chopping down trees.

“Traditionally, it was much more about managing timber forests, using trees as a material resource,” she says. “Now, there’s more of a Venn diagram over forestry, arboriculture, horticulture and environmental science.”

Elliott prods the soil with a flag marker. The skinny metal rod transforms into a diagnostic tool in her hands.

“Do you have concrete or debris under here?” she asks the homeowner.

“Yeah, there’s a ton of debris, construction things, just random stuff,” she answers.

Urban soil is full of materials that do not occur in a natural forest setting: bricks, concrete, heavy metal elements. Only certain trees can thrive here.

Elliott quickly makes a diagnosis: lots of water runoff, owner is open to any species, nearby retaining wall, poor soil quality, exposed to southern sunlight, nearby insects, the available trees at the nursery. It all goes into her advice.

“My first suggestion would be a bald cypress,” she says.

Elliott is upselling for more canopy cover. She estimates this tree could grow to about 40 feet tall in this watery soil, full of obstructions. The trees are naturally found in wetlands, where they encounter periods of intense moisture and droughts.

“Pyramid shape. Not aggressive roots. They have very fine needles,” she says. “They turn a really beautiful rust orange.”

“Low maintenance trees,” she adds. “So you won’t have to worry about getting them pruned even decades in the future.”

The owner smiles.

In the fall, crews will dig and transplant a tree here and at the other homes. If all goes well, they will thrive for decades, perhaps centuries.

Trees to be planted: 🌳

Five minutes away, we step onto a young couple’s corner lot. Elliott looks up and envisions a black gum with deep red-orange leaves in the fall. It can grow to 30 feet tall — large enough to provide shade but stay clear of the overhanging power lines.

Trees can be a bane to utility companies, causing outages when limbs fall. Down the street, we see poor planting decisions: large over-pruned trees contorting themselves away from the utilities.

Elliott steps back and decides on another black gum left of the front door. It’s for symmetry. She says good aesthetics encourage homeowners to embrace their new trees.

Along the south side of the house, the power lines aren’t an issue. But a few loud trucks shudder by, reminding us of another consideration: traffic. Trees can help shield the house from street noise and perhaps even slow down cars. One study that arborists love to cite shows motorists slow down when passing trees.

There’s room for Elliott to be creative. Good soil, a bit of standing water. She suggests three Southern magnolia trees, lush evergreens with thick leaves and bold white flowers.

“They get this big — like the size of my hand,” Elliot says of the flowers. “It’s just a very aesthetic tree.”

The owners say they’re excited to do their part for the environment.

Trees to be planted: 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

At the next home, in Hyattsville, Md., the owner says she’s been considering planting a flowering dogwood or eastern redbud, small ornamental trees with bright white and pink flowers, respectively.

Elliott estimates 65 percent of homeowners want ornamental trees with flowers and fall colors, but she believes they can be convinced to accept a larger canopy tree with the same traits, which will provide more wildlife habitat and shade.

“It seems counterintuitive, but the trees that get taller actually maintain more functional space because their canopy is above your head as opposed to the smaller ornamental trees, like that cherry over there,” she says gesturing toward a neighboring yard.

“It branches out down here so it limits your functional space,” she adds.

Instead, she recommends a yellowwood, a canopy tree that blooms in the spring.

The homeowner mulls this over. Elliott knows she needs the homeowners to buy in for the suggestions to work.

“Whether they know it or not, they have all the power,” she says. “Taking the time to work with people and educate people and try to make things work for them is worth it.”

In this case, the homeowner takes her advice. For the front yard, Elliott suggests an eastern redbud — a native ornamental tree to sweeten the deal. It’s rare to be offered a yellowwood and redbud, she tells the owner, because they’re so coveted.

“Oh, really?” the homeowner says. “That’s so cool!”

Trees to be planted: 🌳🌳

The property in Hyattsville, Md., is immense — 2.3 acres of sloping greenery. There is plenty of space, great soil, no power lines. Any tree could be the right tree in this space.

“I’m kind of wondering what this person would want from a free-tree program,” she says. “If they want specific things that are much more about aesthetics — like ornamental plants — it might be a challenge to persuade them otherwise”

We make our way up to the house — a structure designed by John Joseph Earley, a D.C. artist responsible for the intricate concrete designs of Meridian Hill Park and Dumbarton Bridge.

The owners, Jonathan and Ann Barrett, with their yellow lab, Toby, escort us 40 yards behind their house. Sunlight is everywhere. Toby’s tail is wagging.

“What are you looking to do?” Elliott probes.

“Plant more trees. I don’t have a clear answer,” Jonathan says. “You can imagine this becoming a protected canopy space.”

“I love that,” Elliott says.

She is thinking about a grandiose willow oak. A large tree here can benefit the people down the block, but the owners are hesitant. They ask for something that will help the bees in their apiary.

Elliott suggests a tulip tree, which will grow up to 50 feet tall and produce yellow flowers that attract pollinators and lightning bugs.

There’s room for more. She suggests a few common hackberry or black gum trees near the fence line — hardy non-obtrusive canopy trees that won’t obstruct drivers’ views when they turn around the property.

At the front of the house, there is a perfect spot for a statement tree — a regal American linden would give the home a stately Southern look, Elliott says.

The couple agree. They say they wanted help in finding the trees that are native and stretch high enough to restore shade that nearby development has removed.

“I have to say that this has been one of my best consults I’ve had all season,” Elliot says.

Trees to be planted: 🌳🌳🌳🌳