PHS Hosts Tree  Plantings Throughout Philadelphia Region,   Volunteers Can Register to Help Plant Over 1,200 Trees November 11 - 17, 2024

October 28, 2024 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – From November 11-17, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and over 90 of its PHS Tree Tenders groups, community organizations, and neighborhood volunteers will come together to plant over 1,200 trees throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.   

Through this semi-annual initiative, PHS creates and enhances tree canopy in neighborhoods across the Philadelphia region to promote healthier, greener communities. Interested volunteers are encouraged to sign up for a planting event near them or join PHS for Tree Unloading Day, November 13th at Mt. Moriah Cemetery to assist in unloading trees from a delivery truck and sorting them. This week-long planting blitz reflects PHS’s ongoing commitment to educating communities on the importance of building urban tree canopy and empowering them with the tools and resources needed to become active tree stewards.  

PHS Tree Tenders is a core component of PHS’s mission to create healthy living environments and build social connections. It is regarded as one of the most robust urban tree planting programs in the nation and considered to be at the forefront of the urban forestry movement. The PHS Tree Tenders training program offers education in tree planting and ongoing tree care to individuals and volunteer community groups, with its reach extending to all five of Philadelphia’s surrounding counties.   

Today, there are more than 118 active Tree Tender groups in the Greater Philadelphia region, and PHS has trained over 6,000 volunteers who have rallied neighbors to come together to plant and care for trees. Since 1991, PHS Tree Tenders have planted over 30,000 trees in neighborhoods across the Greater Philadelphia region. 

“We are so excited to be enacting tree plantings this fall, helping to develop vital tree canopy for residents. This tree planting week not only serves as a reflection of PHS’s mission supporting a greener, healthier region, but also serves as an opportunity for community members to come together to be a part of an incredible effort that directly benefits their neighborhood,” stated PHS’s Director of Trees, Dan Preziosi.  

HOW TO SIGN UP AND VOLUNTEER  
Interested volunteers do not need experience and are encouraged to find an event in their area and contribute to the tree planting process, which typically lasts about 2-3 hours at the assigned site. Additionally, volunteers are welcome to participate in Tree Unloading Day on November 13th at Mt. Moriah Cemetary (62nd St and Kingsessing Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19142. A PHS Tree Tenders group leader will be assigned to all planting locations to educate and support the assigned volunteers. Everyone is asked to bring gloves, close-toed shoes, a shovel if you have one, and a water bottle. Supplies for plantings will be available onsite, including shovels, pickaxes, brooms, and trash bags. Participants are also asked to dress for the weather as plantings will happen rain or shine.  

To sign up to volunteer for a tree planting event or Tree Unloading Day (Nov 13), please visit below.

1. After you click the link above, look for blue circles on the map (that’s where volunteers are needed!) 

2. Click on the blue circle for the time and location of the planting event. 

3. Follow the link or reach out to the contact person provided to sign up directly.

CITY TREE PLANTING MYTHS 
Building urban tree canopy has the potential to deliver a variety of benefits to communities, including a reduction in air pollution, reduction of urban heat island effects, as well as physical and mental health benefits such as lowering risk for cardio-metabolic disease, respiratory conditions like asthma, and stress levels. Despite extensive research supporting these claims, many people have reservations about having trees in a city, due to a variety of misconceptions. PHS has identified five areas of concern and misconceptions surrounding city tree plantings and the facts to debunk them. 

1. Myth: Trees will damage my pipes, sidewalks, or powerlines. 

Truth: Tree roots only reach 18 inches below the surface, while Philly sewer laterals are buried 6 feet deep. Additionally, PHS works to plant the right tree in the right place and selects only trees of an appropriate size for an urban environment, helping prevent these challenges.  

1. Myth: Applying for a free street tree is hard. 

Truth: You can find our simple online application at PHSonline.org. The PHS Trees team or your local Tree Tenders group are here to help. 

1. Myth: Once I get a tree, all the work is on me. 

Truth: PHS staff will coordinate cutting the sidewalk, volunteers will plant the tree, and PHS provides advice on how to maintain it and rally neighbors to share in caring for your new tree.  

1. Myth: These trees aren’t right for my block. 

Truth: A city arborist visits all planting sites to ensure that all trees in the area are the appropriate species and size for the environment. 

1. Myth: I can’t plant a tree if I don’t have a PHS Tree Tenders group near me. 

Truth: Gather two people in your community who are interested in becoming Tree Tenders, take our basic training course, and start your own group! 

In all its tree planting education, PHS emphasizes the importance of “right tree, right place.” By being strategic about what types of trees are planted in an urban setting, many of the infrastructure and care challenges homeowners may worry about with trees are mitigated completely. Additionally, PHS strives to serve as a long-term partner to communities, supporting and empowering them with the resources, hands-on support, and education needed to successfully build canopy in their neighborhood. 

TREE CANOPY RESEARCH  
In November 2023, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in partnership with PHS, released new results and analysis of a federally funded community science study that mapped Philadelphia’s urban heat islands, highlighting the need for trees in the city's hottest, most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. The study and analysis — detailed in an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap titled Citywide Heat Ride  — involved multiple community groups and city residents who gathered more than 38,000 temperature and humidity measurements across 105 square miles of the city in a single day in July 2022. Temperatures soared as much as 10.5 degrees higher in some areas than others at the same time of day. Findings revealed that areas with more concrete, roads, parking lots, and fewer trees trap heat, making them hotter on average. Tree-dense areas, on the other hand, stayed cooler throughout the day. According to TNC’s analysis, some of the areas in the highest need for trees include Kingsessing, Grays Ferry and Hunting Park. Kingsessing has just 14% tree canopy, while Grays Ferry has just 6%. The analysis highlights how tree planting and care would equitably address extreme heat, public health, and quality of life for Philadelphia neighborhoods.  

Studies have also linked increased tree canopy to lower rates of violence and better health outcomes, including reduction in heat-related illness. The US Forest Service estimates that achieving 30% tree canopy would prevent over 400 premature deaths per year in Philadelphia, including over 200 premature deaths in areas of lower socioeconomic status. However, according to a study conducted in 2018 by The City of Philadelphia and University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab

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, the city’s tree canopy declined by 6% from 2008-2018, averaging only 20% tree canopy, with some Philadelphia neighborhoods having as little as 2.5% tree canopy.   

Throughout the year, PHS plants and cares for trees and works towards the goal of a healthier urban forest, especially for neighborhoods with low canopy coverage and high average temperatures.  

ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY  
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization founded in 1827, uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia Region. PHS programs create healthier living environments, increase access to fresh food, expand access to jobs and economic opportunity, and strengthen deeper social connections between people. PHS’s work spans 250 neighborhoods; an expansive network of public gardens and landscapes; year-round learning experiences; and the nation’s signature gardening event, the Philadelphia Flower Show. PHS provides everyone with opportunities to garden for the greater good as a participant, member, donor, or volunteer. For information and to support this impactful work, please visit PHSonline.org.  

TREE TENDERS PLANTING SPONSORS   
Many organizations help advance PHS’s work to create healthy living environments and build deeper social connections in the city and region. Major support for PHS Tree Tenders programs, PHS Tree Tenders plantings, and the PHS effort to restore the area’s tree canopy is made possible by PECO.   

Additional sponsors include Accenture, AQUA Pennsylvania, Arbor Day Foundation, Asplundh, Bank of America, Enviri, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Philadelphia Division of Housing and Community Development, The Philadelphia Phillies, Subaru of America, the TD Charitable Foundation, and Truist.  

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT TREE PLANTINGS  
You can also support PHS’s tree planting programs by donating to the 2023 “More Trees Please” campaign. Each spring and fall, PHS works with volunteers across the Greater Philadelphia region to plant trees at little or no cost to residents. Gifts in support of “More Trees Please” provide critical funding that supplies the trees, tools, and resources needed to make these plantings possible. Learn more at PHSonline.org/patrees  

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