Hans Moennig

WETA Hometown Hero December 2006. Hans Moennig is a citizen forester with Casey Trees, committed to re-greening Washington, D.C.

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Hans Moennig, a volunteer with Casey Trees, is the December 2006 WETA Hometown Hero.

WETA selected Moennig for his commitment to collecting data, planting and taking inventory of trees in the District.

A long time D.C. resident, Moennig began volunteering with Casey Trees in the summer of 2002. In one of his first projects with the organization, Moennig traversed D.C.’s city blocks collecting data on the species, size and health of trees on the streets. The information Moennig and hundreds of other volunteers collected is now part of the Urban Forestry Administration’s tree database, critical tool used to manage the city’s tree canopy.

Since his first summer, Moennig has volunteered more than 300 hours of service in the quest to identify, categorize and plant trees. He has completed training in Casey Trees’ Citizen Forester Program. The program provides instruction in tree identification and assessment; planting and maintenance; urban environmental stewardship; and planning and leading community plantings.

The training Moennig has received working with Casey Trees has also allowed him to assist other organizations, such as the National Park Service-National Capital Parks Central (NPS-NACC), to inventory their trees. In addition, he volunteered for a Casey Trees and the National Park Service initiative called the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) program. UFORE is a research study developed by the USDA Forest Service to better understand the structure and function of the urban forest. The data Moennig collected will help the city to deal with issues surrounding air and water quality.

Casey Trees was established in 2001 to help restore the District of Columbia’s tree canopy. The philanthropist Betty Brown Casey established the organization after seeing satellite images comparing green areas in the District from the 1970s to the 1990s. The loss of tree canopy was dramatic. Today, Casey Trees is dedicated to researching and supporting the District’s trees. Volunteer staff such as Moennig help to make that mission a reality.

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