Tree memorial beckons D.C. to value its tree canopy

Dupont Circle residents have always appreciated the trees in Dupont Circle Park. But they gained a new appreciation for the tree canopy after losing one in a Sept. 3 storm.

“This was the backdrop of a lot of people’s fondest memories, this place, and you don’t realize it until it’s gone, but this is one of the biggest trees here,” Logan Mason, a Northern Virginia resident and local realtor, said.

Mason was walking through the park a couple days after the storm when he noticed the fallen tree. At the time, it had just one note attached. 

Since then, residents, including Mason, have filled the tree with messages.

One note said, “Thank you for reminding us that people can come together to appreciate beautiful things in life.” Another letter reads, “Goodbye and goodnight, sweet tree. You will be missed.” 

And this tree isn’t the only one Washington residents lost. 

More than 300 trees fell in the Sept. 3 storm, Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a Facebook post the next day. 

According to Casey Trees’ 2025 Tree Report Card, the district boasts 2 million trees, and 89% of those are in “excellent” or “good” condition. Casey Trees is a nonprofit organization that plants, restores and protects the district’s tree canopy.

D.C.’s goal is to reach 40% canopy in Washington by 2032, Casey Trees said on its website. It is at 37% now, according to the most recent data from 2020.

Vince Drader, the director of communications for Casey Trees, said harsh weather like the Sept. 3 storm can set the organization back.

“Casey Trees plants upwards of 7,000 trees per year. When we lose a large, mature tree, as we lost many large, mature trees in the storm, you can imagine how long it takes for us to get that canopy back because a large, mature tree has been growing there for 50 to 100 years or more,” Drader said. 

Although tree loss cannot be avoided in large storms, Drader said, care and maintenance can give trees a better chance. 

“Making sure that you’re pruning it, having it inspected and looked at,” Drader said. “Pruning it to make sure that there’s no large hazard limbs, that it’s growing in a proper shape and form that will allow it to weather a storm like the one we just had.”

For Mason, the canopy is what sets Washington apart from other cities.

“That’s one thing that keeps D.C. looking beautiful is the fact that we do keep the lush greenery,” Mason said.

Yvonne Thelwell, who is from the city, feels similarly. 

She said the trees in Dupont Circle Park are the “anchors of Dupont.” And if the fallen tree could talk, think of how much it would say, she added.

Thelwell, a civil engineer for the district, said the neighborhood historically has had much meaning to many people. ”A lot has happened in this Dupont Circle,” she said, such as during the ‘60s and with gay pride events.

She said she is curious to see what happens with the stump, but she hopes something is done with it, like a carving, or to see it left as a memorial.

As for the future of the tree, Jeffrey Rueckgauer, a Dupont Circle advisory neighborhood commissioner, said the ANC will see what the arborists say about the stump.

The National Park Service told Axios Monday morning that the stump will be removed, and a new tree planted. The National Park Service’s National Capital Region did not respond for comment. 

The memorial remained as of Monday evening. 

In the meantime, Drader said residents are mourning the loss of the tree because it provides them benefits year-round, like curbing noise pollution and providing cleaner air.

And Mason has one message for those grieving downed trees around the city.

“If you ever get the chance, leave a note on the fallen tree,” he said.