Langdon Park Forest Patch: How three women turned their tree rescue efforts into a public-private partnership in community- based forest stewardship

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, community tree activists engaged in tree rescue activities in Washington, D.C.’s Langdon Park. They cleared non-native invasive vines and cataloged native tree species within the park’s 2.2-acre forest patch. Over the last 2+ years, they endeavored to share their story of forest stewardship, garnering support from district agencies and local non-profit Casey Trees. The ensuing collaboration has led to a healthier forest with greater community connection.

In a nutshell, this resource offers:

• The goals and outcomes of a community-lead effort to restore and program a patch of forest in Washington DC
• A model for public-private partnership and community-driven forest restoration efforts. 
• A case study of how community members and city agencies built consensus on how to care for, conserve, and program a local forest patch.  

How to use this resource:

• As a potential scalable model for community engagement and public partnership in public parkland. 
• An example of how communities can use citizen science to track forest health over time
• As inspiration for how to build community support and engage residents in local forest care. 

Author:  James Woodworth District Department of Energy and Environment, Urban Forestry Advisory Council,  Kelly Collins Choi, Casey Trees, Robert Corletta Urban Forestry Division, District Department of Transportation, Delores Bushong Community volunteer/stakeholder, outgoing UFAC community representative, Casey Trees volunteer Mary Pat Rowan Community volunteer/stakeholder, Co-founder Washington, D.C. Chapter, Maryland Native Plant Society,

Date published: May, 2023

Point of contact: Kelly Collins Choi Casey Trees, kcollinschoi@caseytrees.org

Citation: Woodworth, James; Collins Choi, Kelly; Corletta, Robert; Bushong, Delores; Rowan, Mary Pat; and Clausen, Allison (2023) "Langdon Park Forest Patch: How three women turned their tree rescue efforts into a public-private partnership in community-based forest stewardship.," Cities and the Environment (CATE): Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 33. DOI: 10.15365/cate.2023.130133

Resource is available online here.