Planting trees is a powerful way to enhance the health and well-being of neighborhoods. PHS’s Tree Tenders program works with volunteer-based community groups to plant trees. The program provides workshops in tree planting and care and volunteer group organization. PHS has trained more than 6,500 people who have gone on to lead volunteers in planting over 3,000 trees each year.
PHS’s Watersheds program provides funding and technical support to watershed management non-profits. Through this program, dozens of such watershed restoration projects are conducted throughout the region. This results in thousands of trees planted in those sensitive water protection zones every year.
Yet, the Greater Philadelphia region still needs more trees. While a “good” tree canopy coverage (the area of land shaded by trees) is considered to be 30% of land area, the city of Philadelphia only has 20% coverage and as little as 2.5% in some neighborhoods.
PHS is committed to increasing the canopy, especially in neighborhoods with few trees and high average temperatures. Throughout the year, PHS works with more than 100 community groups to plant and care for trees in the Philadelphia region. Help PHS partner with community members and plant more trees in your neighborhood.
