IRW Assessment: Christmas Tree Removal Requests

By Jack Walker | Updated Dec. 29, 2025

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About this project

Project Description: In this repository we analyze trends in 311 calls requesting Christmas tree removals in D.C. from 2020 to 2025. D.C. trash collectors pick up trees placed on the curb in January and February, so calls reflect requests related to pickups that the city missed. We explore a spike in calls in 2025, and whether a period of inclement weather shortly after the holiday played a role in the uptick.

Want to run this code?

Required packages/libraries: pandas

1. Download the data.  - Create a /jack-data directory (in the project root).
   • Visit D.C. open data portal and download CSV files for 311 calls in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. (You can click each year to access dataset link.)
   • Rename the CSVs to match the format 311_YEAR.csv and put them into /jack-data.
2. Install python 3.13.
3. Install pandas
4. If using the Jupyter Notebook:
   • Install jupyter notebook.
   • From the project root, run 311_to_csv.ipynb.
5. OR if running the python file:
   • From the project root, run python_code.py.
6. Upload the generated .CSV files (complaints.csv and zipcodes.csv) into a visualization program like DataWrapper.