Location: Pennsylvania
Partners Involved: 238 different partners
Type of Buffer: Urban, Costal, and agricultural
Submitted by: Brenda Sieglitz
How does 1 organized group of partners plant 10 million trees?
- Collaboration.
- Dedication.
- Transparency.
- Commitment.
- GUTS.
With 236 partners and more signing on every day, it’s been a monumental challenge to figure out how to count all of these trees, let alone how to get each tree in the ground. Yet every single partner has been up for this task and more. They have all stepped up to figure out how we grow more native trees, pool together resources and organizations to increase technical assistance, and share more transparently to better understand our collective work.
Partners share transparently about what exciting projects they are undertaking, the resources they need, funding concerns and excitement, and information on how and where trees are being planted. It is through this collaboration that the partnership can better support one another in the success to plant 10 million trees by 2025, and it’s what has helped us get to 5 million trees planted in 2022!
I’ve been the lucky one to be part of these conversations and efforts for the past 4 years and to learn from mentors, leaders, and peers on what has worked, what has failed, and how we can do it better the next time. The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership exists because of its partners. Each one plays an integral role in its success whether that is through meeting with landowners who are excited, or skeptical, about planting trees on their property. Some partners uplift our efforts through funding, in-kind support, and physical resources. Others share the message of the partnership with their friends and network. And some partners continue their work consistently and committedly by providing trees to Pennsylvanians year after year.
As the partnership embarks on the second half of its journey from now through the end of 2025, we are investing in another pre-purchase of native trees and shrubs with Pennsylvania nurseries in our continued commitment to provide free trees to our partners. We are pushing vendors to develop biodegradable and innovative tree protection products. We advocate with legislators and funders for more funding in Pennsylvania for tree planting, protection, and people. And we will continue to educate on the importance of tracking trees and providing free resources to partners and landowners so the work we do counts for Pennsylvania.
This post is part of the second annual CCLC Riparian Buffer Month.
For more information check out our page ,
If you would like to support professional training of landscape professionals in the design, instillation, and maintenance of riparian buffers, please donate today to the CBLP-Buffers scholarship fund. We believe that landscape professionals have a unique ability to directly affect the health of our landscapes- and your donation will directly assist a professional in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to pursue training.
