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Events
New Maple Honors Albanian Service
On April 28 we planted a new "Red Sunset" red maple in honor of Albania. The site was arranged by Friends of Mitchell Park in a lovely seating area in the park, which is near the Embassy. Dr. Liri Berisha, wife of the Prime Minister, dedicated the tree during her official visit to Washington. She is president of the Mother Teresa Cultural Foundation and the Albanian Children Foundation. Students from City Collegiate Public Charter School interviewed her for the school paper after helping plant the tree.
See local press coverage of this event on our Press page.
Above: Students take part in the planting to honor Albania.
Cypriot Ambassador hosts RMA's first fundraiser
Ambassador of Cypress H.E. Andreas Kakouris and Kareen Kakouris were generous and warm hosts for our first-ever fundraiser April 22 at their elegant residence at 2501 Mass Ave. The 75 people attending enjoyed Cypriot wine and sumptuous food, home-cooked by Board members! Deborah Shapley spoke about RMA's unexpected success in just three years and how donations will advance its future work. RMA treekeepers served wine and passed trays. A special note was Treekeeper Andy Luse's piano performance.
Coverage of the event by Gail Scott of Washington Diplomat may be found on our Press page.
"Celebration of Trees & Children" Plants 16 New Trees Nov 20th
On a glorious fall morning 16 new trees were planted by about 60 volunteers, thanks to our partner Casey Trees who gave them to five embassies. Hosting this “celebration of trees and children” was the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire. It followed African custom by having the leader—the Ambassador—start the work, as the photo shows. The Embassy of Korea got 6 new trees; the other photo shows Korean staffers “jazzed” about their great planting job! Cameroon, Slovenia, and Venezuela also got trees. 9 of the 16 restore the historic ‘second row’ by sidewalks.
City Collegiate Public Charter School students came to help and were welcomed warmly by the Ambassador of Cameroon and others.
Afterwards, Ambassador Koffi Y. Charles of Côte d’Ivoire hosted everyone at a delicious lunch. In his remarks, he told us that the tropical forest area in his country has shrunk from 20 million hectares in 1950 to just 3 million today.
11 Street Trees Helped in Root Rescue Project
Above: RMA Treekeepers use the air-spade on a street tree near Dupont Circle.
We loosened the soil around the roots of 11 Mass Ave street trees with an air-spade on Sunday, October 25th. RMA volunteers were led by a professional, Andrew Walsh of Leprechaun Landscaping. Plywood boards, which we held to keep the dirt from flying all over--including on us--were donated by Embassy Circle Guest House. After girdling roots were cut, the soil was amended and repacked. We'll see how this sample of 11 "rescued" trees fare in the future.
Click Here to see the video of our Root Rescue Project (3:28 minutes)
Embassy Open Houses May 2 and 9, 2009
Above:At the British Embassy, mother and child learn about Mass Ave’s historic landscape.
An estimated 6,000 visitors to the Embassy of Great Britain (3100 Mass Ave) saw our outreach table during “open houses” at embassies of EU member countries on May 9. RMA was invited to advance the British theme: how we can address climate change. See the coverage at Examiner.com.
The Embassy of Korea helped us host an outreach table near Korus House (2370 Mass Ave) during “open houses” held by non-EU member countries on May 2. The third annual event by Passport DC drew 90,000 visits to these embassies – vastly more than the first years. We’re learning that embassies are very popular!
Planting Day March 21, 2009
The 16 trees bring to 63 the number RMA has added to yards. This Planting Day was our fourth when Casey Trees donated trees to clients we nominated based on their fine care of landscape. Two dozen RMA Treekeepers were among 75 volunteers planting.
You can see our new grove at the entrance to Lovers’ Lane at Mass Ave and Whitehaven St. The open lawn bordered with majestic-type trees reproduces the shaded open “parks” of Mass Ave in its heyday. We’re grateful to the Embassy of Italy for installing this Lawn and caring for the new grove on public land.
Three other new trees rebuild the historic Second Row at the embassies of Romania and Burkina Faso. Another Historic Landscape element is the new Fosters’ Holly by Romania’s embassy on Sheridan Circle.
We planted Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata), Chinese lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia allée), tulip poplar (lirodendron tulipifera), ginkgo (ginkgo biloba) and red maple (acer rubrum). The understory trees by Lovers’ Lane are Serviceberries (Amelanchier).
The Ambassador of Italy praised RMA’s progress at a reception he gave afterwards for volunteers and neighbors. DC Council Member Michael Brown spoke of RMA’s help re-greening the capital. Mark Buscaino, Executive Director of Casey Trees, praised the Casey-RMA partnership. Deborah Shapley, RMA President, explained how this planting advances our Historic Landscape program.
A good time was had by all!
Above: Speakers at Italian Embassy reception
Fall Planting November 22
Above: We did it! These volunteers planted a new red oak where it will shade the sidewalk and busy bus stop. They shaped the mulch to guide the water to the roots
Brrr! In frrr-eezing cold about 50 volunteers planted 12 red oaks (Quercus rubra) in a very busy area at 20th Street and Mass Ave, steps from the Metro exit at Q Street.
Seven oaks are in the lawns between the parking lot and sidewalk. They’ll be cared for by PNC Bank, whose President Michael Harreld was on hand to welcome the trees.
Five of the oaks are on the west side, along the sidewalk in lawns by the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America.
Restore Mass Ave arranged the donation and siting of these trees to rebuild the second row of major trees shading the sidewalks that formed the original landscape. We are deeply grateful to Casey Trees for these tree donations and leadership of the event.
We welcome the HRFA as the newest Participant in our historic landscape program. By replacing bushy low trees near the sidewalk of Mass Ave with a fine oak tree – see photo - a longer open view was restored. The new line of oaks will define the corner and frame views of HRFA’s Kossuth House across the lawn. More on how long views across open lawns defined the historic landscape is here.
This planting brings to 47 the number of new trees we’ve arranged for property owners along Embassy Row; 28 of them re-create the second row of majestic trees.
What’s next? The city will plant several new street trees in the 2000 block of Mass. We urge property owners up and down this block to take care of them!
Finnish Embassy
HE Pekka Lintu, Ambassador of Finland, personally
planted a new ‘second row’ linden tree and hosted
a reception for Restore Mass Ave, on June
5 at the Embassy (3301 Mass Ave). The new tree
is part of Finland’s program to “green” its Embassy as a
model for others.
Planting Day
Above: Ambassador of Zambia, H.E. Inonge
Bikusita-Lewanika, thanks the planters for the trees and spoke about deforestation in Zambia.
Restore Mass Ave arranges for Embassy Row property owners to receive new trees. We request the trees from Casey Trees, which will donate them to those who will care for them.
At our second Planting Day on April 19, 2008, 22 new trees were planted in the 2400 block of Mass Ave, by >130 volunteers.
The Embassy of Zambia (2419 Mass) received 15 trees for its yards. In the photo to the right, volunteers plant four elms of the disease-resistant variety, Ulmus americana ‘Princeton,’ in the lawn in front of the Embassy.
We plant them in a line along the sidewalk to rebuild the second row that made a shady allée parallel to street trees by the curbs (right). The sidewalk here is a terrible ‘heat island,’ but these elms will make it cool and shady.
We planted four trees at the rear of the Embassy of Slovenia (2410 California Street): three more elms and a white oak, Quercus alba.
Two European hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigata,’ were planted at the Embassy of Paraguay (2400 Mass). A black gum, Nyssa sylvatica, was added to the federal park known as “Emmet Park” (Mass Ave at S and 24th Streets).
Our partner Casey Trees posted a slideshow of the event.
Earth Day Breakfast
Above: Michael N. Harreld Regional President of PNC Bank (blue shirt),
and Deborah Shapley, RMA President, with Mr. Thomas (right) and some of the guests.
Members of the area’s business community attended an Earth Day breakfast April 22 to learn how they can help city trees. The event was co-hosted by PNC Bank and Restore Mass Ave. The featured speaker was John P. Thomas, Chief Supervisory Forester of Washington.
In his remarks Mr. Thomas said rails around sidewalk trees are ‘the best investment’ a business or resident can make to “extend street trees life.” He also said his agency “100% supports” the work of Restore Mass Ave.
PNC has installed 11 iron rails for all the curb2ide street trees at its busy Dupont Circle branch; it now cares for these city trees.
Islamic Center's New Tree
Restore Mass Ave arranged the planting of a “fringe tree” in the lawn of The Islamic Center (2551 Mass Ave). The planting ceremony was part of an Interfaith Eco Tour April 27 that highlighted “greening” projects in DC.
Embassy Open Houses Showcase RMA
On May 3 and 17 dozens of Embassies held Open Houses for the public to visit their countries – by walking through Embassy doors. Passport DC, as it was called, included information tables and exhibits about Restore Mass Ave at the Embassy of Slovenia on May 3 and at the Embassy of Paraguay on May 17. Thousands of visitors learned how we try to stop tree loss and restore the urban forest canopy.
Above: outside the Embassy of Paraguay May 17. At far right is one of the two hornbeam trees we had planted here on April 19.
Planting Day May 2, 2007
Did you know the word “Guatemala” means tree? We didn’t until the Embassy of Guatemala extended formal thanks for two new trees we planted to shade the sidewalk on our First Planting Day May 2, 2007.
Eleven new trees, most of large types such as willow oak and linden, were added to the neighborhood. Eight fill in the second row line which will shade the sidewalk and recreate the historic landscape.
The trees were donated by Casey Trees and marked the beginning of a partnership for which many on Embassy Row are grateful.