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Six years ago during Hurricane Isabel, Daniel Zwerdling-Rothschild was doing yoga with his wife, Barbara, in their living room when they heard what sounded like an explosion overhead. They leaped off their mats, just before a majestic oak tree on their property came crashing through the ceiling and landing where they had been sitting moments before.

They ended up having to rebuild their house in the town of Chevy Chase and moved into the new structure last June. But a lingering concern remains for the oak tree they lost and several other trees the couple had to cut down in the wake of Isabel. They planted a few smaller trees to try to make up the difference, but their yard still isn't what it used to be.

"Our yard feels very naked," Zwerdling-Rothschild said.

Thanks to a town-sponsored project, however, he is making sure his yard gets its due. The town is in the early stages of its Native Tree Canopy program, in which 30 selected residences get one tree each. All the trees will be native to Chevy Chase. The program, which cost the town $10,000, is being done in conjunction with a town effort to plant trees in the public rights of way.

"Some will be planted this fall, and some species are best planted in the spring," Town Manager Todd Hoffman said.

The Zwerdling-Rothschilds and 29 other households will have a choice between six species of trees, including white oaks, red maples and willows. The town began advertising the program in July, and by the end of September the first 30 households had signed up, Hoffman said. The town plants the trees for the homeowners but asks that the private property owners take responsibility for maintaining them.

Councilman David Lublin, council liaison to the Environment Committee that proposed the Native Tree Canopy program, said people asked to be in the program even before it was officially approved by the council.

"It's one of the things people really like about the neighborhood," said Lublin, who is on the list to receive one of the 30 trees. "... The trees are owned by individuals, but it's sort of a public good at the same time."

Zwerdling-Rothschild said the tree cover was one of the things that attracted him to the town when he moved in. The town employs an arborist who can check trees on private property for pest infestation and hazardous conditions.

Through a county program called "Leaves for Neighborhoods," residents who buy trees with a value of $75 or more from certain nurseries can get a $25 coupon. Planning Commission arborist Jeanne Kavinski said additional deciduous trees create more shade in the summer and reduce energy use. In the winter, the leaves fall off the trees and more sunlight can enter houses and create warmth.

"It's a great program and hopefully more towns will do that," Kavinski said.

But the timing also appears to be good from an arboreal perspective. The average lifespan of many trees planted around 1918, when the town was founded, means the tree canopy could be significantly diminished soon if they are not replaced. Zwerdling-Rothschild said he learned in the aftermath of Isabel that many trees in the town would only have a lifespan of about 150 years.

"That was when we learned that people in the community need to have some sort of deliberate effort to keep trees around," he said.

As of last week, 39 town households had signed up to take part in the program. Although it is limited to the first 30 participants, Lublin said he hopes the program will continue in future years. Zwerdling-Rothschild, meanwhile, said that, before the storm, the woods around the National 4-H Youth Conference Center to the south of his home had extended onto his property.

"We're trying to bring it back," he said.