On March 5, the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership (K10) announced plans to add nearly 200,000 new trees to Pennsylvania this year, approaching a lofty goal of 10 million new trees planted by the end of 2025.

With over 320 partners, the collaborative effort coordinated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), has amassed over 8.2 million new trees in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed since it launched in spring of 2018.

Last year alone, partners planted 468,467 trees.

“Having planted 8.2 million trees as of last fall is a very good sign we’re closing in on 10 million,” Partnership Manager Marley McKind said. “I am so thankful for all the hard work of our partners and growers alongside the K10 team. We couldn’t have gotten to 8.2 million without them.”

The effort reached its midway, 5-millionth tree milestone in fall of 2022.

This spring, CBF plans to directly fund and distribute roughly 90,000 trees, and critical tree sheltering supplies, with an additional 100,000 planned for the fall planting season.

Trees will be coming from nurseries in Lancaster County and northern Maryland.

A $75,000 tree survival grant from the Foxwynd Foundation, of Chester County, will allow trees planted along streams by partners to live longer, grow stronger, and have a better chance to clean and protect local waters.

Funding from Foxwynd will be used this spring for maintenance, supplies, and logistical support.

Partners are applying now for $30,000 in maintenance grants that will be announced in April, the same time trees will be distributed for planting.

The Partnership continues to place special emphasis on plantings in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Adding trees in those counties is critical because of the amount of nitrogen pollution generated and to improve local stream health and reverse the overall loss of trees.

CBF reflects on the resilience and determination of the partnership as it nears its goal.

“This campaign ran through a pandemic and just kept going,” McKind said. “The fact that funders continued to provide grants, partners remained dedicated to the program, and the enthusiasm of volunteers to plant trees never waned shows the spirit and passion for this work.”

Trees are the most cost-effective tools for cleaning and protecting waterways.

Trees filter and absorb polluted runoff, stabilize streambanks, and improve soil quality. Trees also help address climate change by cooling the air and sequestering carbon.

To learn more, visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership website.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.

Click Here to check out your streams.  Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.

Request Trees & Shrubs:

-- Western PA Conservancy: Landowners, Apply Now For Statewide Riparian Tree Plantings  [PaEN]

-- PA iMapInvasives Program: Replace Your Invasive, Non-Native Plants, Shrubs With Native Plants At 5 Upcoming Give-Away Events Starting May 3  [PaEN]

-- Western PA Conservancy: Apply Now To Treevitalize Pittsburgh For Support In Planting Trees In Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, April 1 Deadline

Related Articles:

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper: Forest School Educator Dr. Jean Lomino Shares The Benefits, Key Components Ahead Of Naturalist Certification Course Set For April 14-17 In Central PA - By John Zaktansky

-- PA Firefly Festival Hosts Firefly Naturalist Guide Training June 21 At Kellettville Firefly Farm In Forest County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- PennLive: DOGE Cutting Harrisburg-Area USDA Farm, Rural Development, USGS Water Research Center, Other Offices After Pushing Employees Out

-- Lancaster Farming Guest Essay: Conservation Is A Good Investment - By Julia Krall, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: Lancaster County Farmers Face A Triple Whammy Of Threats: Tariffs, Bird Flu And Federal Funding Cuts 

-- Inquirer: President Freezes National Park Money For Valley Forge Forest Management  

-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsoppple: Conservationists Raise Alarm Over Federal Employee Firings

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Cuts Raise Concerns Over Wildfire Fighting, Forest Management 

-- Warren Times Letter: Job Reductions At Allegheny National Forest Will Take Toll On Warren County

-- Centre Daily Times: DOGE To End 2 Leases In State College Area, Including US Fish & Wildlife Office; What We Know

-- Warren Times Editorial: Not A Big Fan Of Celebrating President’s Cuts: People Receiving Pink Slips In Our Region Work Each Day To Earn A Paycheck To Support Their Families, It’s Just Adding To The Unemployment Rolls

-- AP: $75 Million Was Awarded To Plant Trees In Places That Badly Need Them; In Anti-DEI Push, That’s Over

[Posted: March 5, 2025] 

3/10/2025