Since 2014, I’ve led tree walks in the Washington, DC area. My walks are intended to be accessible to everyone and focus on skills that will allow you to begin identifying trees on your own and to understand how our trees fit into the larger natural and artificial landscapes we live in. Learning to identify trees is also a great way to spend time outside and connect with your environment, two evidence-based ways to enhance physical and mental health and well-being.

I wrote about learning to see trees for the New York Times.

Upcoming Tree Walks

I will lead two free tree walks this fall, on Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1. While these walks will, as always, focus largely on developing basic tree ID skills, I also want to explore broader themes of ecology and evolutionary history, as well as a question that's been on my mind lately: What would it mean to think of ourselves as residents of the eastern temperate forest bioregion, rather than the Washington DC area? Could identifying ourselves bioregionally rather than politically help us deepen, and perhaps start to heal, our relationship to the natural world?

Read on for details, and I hope you can join me on one of these explorations! 

Walk #1: Fort Bunker Hill Park in Brookland

Fort Bunker Hill Park is in DC's Brookland neighborhood, one of the Fort Circle parks marking sites used to fortify DC during the Civil War. Having escaped development, this park now hosts an impressive variety of big trees on a compact city block, including some uncommon specimens. And it has a nice looping trail we can use to explore.

  • Date/time: Saturday, October 31, 1 - 3 pm 

  • Meeting point: Small picnic area at the southeast corner of the park, corner of Otis and 14th Streets Northeast. Map here

  • Getting there: 10-minute walk from Brookland Metro; abundant street parking and easily reached by bike

  • Difficulty: There will be a small amount of hiking on trails, including a short uphill.

  • What to bring: Water, layers, good walking shoes. Optional: snacks, binoculars, field guides, phone for plant ID

Walk #2: Northwest Branch in Hyattsville, MD

Just outside the District, this biodiversity hotspot nestled within suburban Maryland features a remarkable variety of large and interesting trees including one true giant. Ospreys, bald eagles and herons are often seen flying above the water, while woodpeckers and owls live in the woods. (Sadly we will probably not see the owls.)

  • Date/time: Sunday, November 1, 10 am - noon 

  • Meeting point: Parking lot next to 38th Avenue Neighborhood Park playground. Map here

  • Getting there: C41 and P43 buses; abundant parking and easily reached by bike along the Northwest Branch trail

  • Difficulty: Mostly flat walking on pavement or grass; possibly a short hike on unpaved trails. No significant hills.

  • What to bring: Water, layers, good walking shoes. Optional: snacks, binoculars, field guides, phone for plant ID

Registration: These walks are free, but please let me know if you plan to come and if you will be bringing any guests.

Weather note: Both walks will proceed in light rain. In case of heavy rain, I will try to find alternate date(s).

Past tree walk locations:

  • Rock Creek Park (Peirce Mill, Carter Barron areas)

  • Northwest Branch Trail in Hyattsville, MD

  • Mount Rainier, MD urban forest

  • Tregaron Conservancy, Cleveland Park neighborhood of DC

  • Mount Pleasant neighborhood

  • 16th St Heights neighborhood

All tree walks I organize are free and open to everyone. But it takes time to find good locations and, of course, to lead walks. If you would like to support my local tree education efforts, you can do so by clicking here.

After a decade of organizing most of my tree walks by myself, I’m now looking to partner with organizations that would like to offer tree ID and nature walks to their audiences and members. If you or your organization are interested in sponsoring a tree walk, please contact me.