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Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism

Francisco Rodriguez

In Another Giveaway to the Commander’s Billionaire Owner, the D.C. Council Is Set To Waive $1 Million in Fines to Chop Down Irreplaceable Heritage Trees

Dozens of immense willow oaks, red oaks, and lindens tower around the gargantuan husk of the long-defunct Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Northeast. The District Department of Transportation calls them “heritage trees,” large, mature trees that are illegal to cut down under D.C. law due to their irreplaceable environmental benefits. But the D.C. Council, […]
By Francisco Rodriguez, published 08/27/25
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The Shade Gap: How Development Is Taking a Toll on D.C.’s Tree Canopy, Putting Human Health At Risk

Since 2020, Ward 8 has lost more healthy trees to development than any other ward.
Spotlight funded
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