DDOT's plea: Please adopt a tree

Wanted: People to care for the District's street trees.

The D.C. Department of Transportation's forestry division is asking residents to help water some of the trees lining the city's streets amid the heat of summer.

"Summer heat and normal urban pressures create intense stress for street trees," John Thomas, the District's chief forester, said in a statement. .

City crews are watering the 3,500 new trees they planted this year, he said, but the city is asking residents and business owners "to help water street trees close to their homes and offices."

The Urban Forestry Administration even provides free watering devices to people who participate in its Canopy Keepers program. More information is available on DDOT's Web site.