Planting Guidelines General Procedures The UFA plants approximately 4,000 - 5,000 street trees in the District each year from October through April. "Street trees" are those trees located between the curb and sidewalk. The UFA developed the following guidelines to better serve our constituents with the District's annual street tree planting program. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Mayor's call center at 202-727-1000. Residents may request a tree for an existing, empty tree box space or continuous planting strip (grass strip) in front of their residence, or trees for an entire block. UFA gives first priority to planting requests received on or before June 15 each year. UFA gives second priority to areas that have few or no existing street trees. All planting requests for the current planting season (October - April in any given year) must be received by June 15, and all requests must be made through the Mayor's call center at (202) 727-1000. UFA cannot guarantee planting of any trees for requests made after June 15th. UFA inspectors check all planting requests for suitability. If the proposed site is suitable, the inspector will mark it and leave a flyer at that address stating that a tree will be planted. If the proposed site is unsuitable, the inspector will leave a flyer at that address stating that a tree cannot be planted with the reasons stated on the sheet. In either case, the inspector may still mark the remainder of the block where the request was received, especially if there are few or no existing street trees. UFA cannot accept planting requests for cemented areas where trees boxes do not exist. To request a tree box, contact DDOT's Public Space Administration/Street Maintenance Division at (202) 727-1000. Only after the planting box has been installed will UFA accept a request to plant it. When UFA identifies sites to plant that are not connected to a specific request, it will distribute a flyer to the nearest residence of an intention to plant. If UFA receives written or call center requests from a constituent that does not want an individual tree planted, we will cancel the planting of that tree only. Any requests made to cancel planting of an entire block must be accompanied by a signed petition from a majority (greater than 50%) of the homeowners on that block, with an accompanying signed statement of consensus from the affected Advisory Neighborhood Commission. All requests for cancellations must be received by August 15th, each year. Our contracts are locked in after this date and cannot be altered without significant financial penalty. Planting Specifications Spacing between trees is 35 - 40 feet where no overhead wires are present; 20 - 25 feet where wires are present. UFA uses the larger distance measurement whenever possible. For safety reasons, and to reduce utility conflicts, UFA will not plant trees within: 40 feet of an intersection, stop sign, or other traffic control device. 25 feet of a non-controlled intersection. 10 feet of a driveway or alley. 15 feet of a light pole. 10 feet of a fire hydrant. In addition to the above safety/utility constraints, UFA will not plant trees directly in front of a walkway lead, or directly in front the steps to a dwelling where existing public or private tree cover will interfere with a tree's growth in front of wooded areas. To assure normal tree development, the minimum dimensions for a tree box cutout is three feet by nine feet. UFA will not plant trees in tree boxes or continuous strips (grass strips) if these planting dimensions are not met. « Return to the main page for the Schedule of Tree Services.