Plant One Million is the largest multi-state tree-planting effort in the nation: a regional partnership to plant one million trees throughout 13 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and the state of Delaware. The goal is to restore the tree canopy cover (the area of land shaded by trees) in the Greater Philadelphia region to 30 percent. Plant One Million is led by PHS, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the TreeVitalize program of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, the New Jersey Tree Foundation, and the Delaware Center for Horticulture.
The Plant One Million campaign will reach a major milestone on Tuesday, September 1st, when it plants its 500,000th tree at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood!
The white oak tree will be planted at the Seminary in honor of our upcoming visit from Pope Francis, whose recent encyclical urges everyone to take responsibility for care of the environment. The Pope will be staying at the Seminary during his visit to Philadelphia on September 26th and 27th.
The September 1st tree planting will coincide with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, established by Pope Francis to remind us of our role as custodians of the earth and its creatures.
You can help! Add at least one tree to your home landscape and “count” your tree on the Plant One Million website to strengthen research and the impact of the tree canopy. There are also plenty of ways to volunteer your time and talents posted to the DCH website.
