By District Department of Transportation Staff
DDOT Urban Forestry Division and Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID) are collaborating on a new initiative, a pop-up arboretum in Lansburgh Park, launching around August 2. The pop-up arboretum is a temporary exhibit of nineteen notable trees ranging from a young paw paw tree to mature yellow buckeye trees.
The pop-up arboretum is a fun way for Southwest residents to learn more about the species of trees inhabiting Lansburgh Park and can help inspire future arborists. Many of the trees featured in the pop-up are also common throughout the District, so this will help give your tree ID skills a boost. You can also learn some fun new facts, like did you know that according to the National League of Cities there are 5,233 streets named after the Elm tree?
An arboretum is simply a living collection of trees, often organized by geographic region or plant families. Arboreta can be used for scientific study, tree breeding, and education. By using existing parks as arboreta, DDOT can take advantage of natural resources in our city parks to highlight tree diversity, support the enjoyment of trees, and help people connect with nature.
In the park, the nineteen trees included will have a temporary sign with tree species information and interesting facts about the tree. We suggest you begin your tour from the Delaware Ave SW side of the park. Scan the QR code on the signage at the entrance for more information or visit https://tinyurl.com/popuptrees.
This is the fourth pop-up arboretum DDOT has created in DC and we are excited to host it here in Southwest. The pop-up arboretum will last through the end of summer so be sure to check it out!