As Philadelphia’s urban forests go through their autumn transformation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and many partners and volunteers are bringing fresh life to public parks with 1,000 new trees! With planting projects across many of the city’s watershed and neighborhood parks, this team effort will expand the urban canopy, clean and cool the air, and provide shade and beauty for the public to enjoy for years to come.
The Conservancy is proud to be a partner in the Philly Tree Plan, a citywide effort to preserve and equitably expand the city’s tree canopy so that all residents, including future generations, can enjoy the personal and environmental benefits of a thriving urban forest.
East Fairmount Park
Volunteers joined the Conservancy to plant 181 trees and 20 shrubs near Rockland and Ormiston Mansions in East Fairmount Park. Plantings at legacy sites like this support long-term ecological restoration goals that strengthen native biodiversity in our parks. Special thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation and Truist Financial for bringing over a dozen volunteers to support this project!
West Fairmount Park
In West Fairmount Park, Fairmount Park Conservancy and Parks & Recreation continue their work to restore the Chamounix Woods, where deer and invasive vines make it hard for native tree seedlings to thrive. This year, the Conservancy, PHLY and PowerCorpsPHL joined forces to plant 48 new trees! This site has also been supported by the Arbor Day Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers, who have funded tree plantings and tree maintenance at several West Park sites over the past two years.
Cobbs Creek Park
In the 60-acre Haddington Woods, Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation are adding 500 young trees, including Oak, Sycamore, Birch, Magnolia and many more. These trees – along with 115 new shrubs – will support the ongoing effort to restore biodiversity and introduce climate-resilient vegetation that can withstand wetter and warmer conditions associated with climate change.
FDR Park
Thanks to funding and volunteer assistance from the Arbor Day Foundation and TD Bank through a TD Tree Days Grant, the Conservancy is planting 125 trees and 35 shrubs along the northern edge of Pattison Lagoon, one of the many bodies of water that give this unique estuarial park its South Philly nickname, “The Lakes.” New shrubs, grasses, and trees along the lagoon’s shoreline are restoring this water habitat after decades of challenges including pollution and invasive plant species. The restoration of Pattison Lagoon is part of the ongoing FDR Park Plan, an historic investment to protect the park from climate change and expand access to nature and recreation for all residents.
Love Your Park Fall Weekend
From November 14-16, over 100 local Park Friends groups will host “Love Your Park” volunteer events with support from Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Activities will vary by park depending on what’s needed, but common activities include leaf raking, trash removal, and – you guessed it! – planting trees. Volunteers will plant over 175 trees during Love Your Park Fall Weekend, an event made possible with support from PECO, Independence Blue Cross, TD Bank, and Greenberg Traurig. Registration is still open!
Get involved
You know the saying: The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. Visit loveyourpark.org to find a park volunteer project near you!
