Pennsylvania 2023 - Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership

PROJECT REPORT

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Dear friend,

Thanks to your support, a total of 497,902 trees were planted to restore 2,488 acres of land in Pennsylvania.

Planting trees in areas that have been deforested can help to accelerate the reestablishment of healthy forests. Reforestation benefits not only the surrounding ecosystem and the biodiversity it supports, but local communities as well.

None of this would be possible without you. On behalf of everyone at One Tree Planted, thank you!

What follows is a report outlining the project you supported in Pennsylvania. I hope you enjoy reading it and truly feel the impact you have made.

OVERVIEW

The primary objective of the Pennsylvania 2023 - Keystone 10 Million Trees PartnershipprojectistohelpimprovethehealthoftheChesapeakeBayWatershed and adjacent watersheds in Pennsylvania. Targeted riparian buffer plantings on agricultural lands — plus additional plantings on urban, suburban and mine lands — will help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and associated water ways by reducing pollution from runoff. The project offers numerous additional benefits, suchaswildlifehabitatimprovementsandincreasedclimatechangeresiliency.

WILDLIFE

TREE SPECIES PLANTED

71 native tree species were planted for the Pennsylvania 2023 - Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership project. Trees were planted across urban, suburban, and rural sites concentrated in the southern region of the state. Species selection for eachsitewasdeterminedbylocalplantingobjectivesandsiteconditionstoensure treehealth.

SPECIES PLANTED FOR THIS PROJECT

American beech (Fagus grandifolia)

American crabapple (Malus coronaria)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hazelnut (Corylus americana)

American plum (Prunus americana)

Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea)

Basswood (Tilia americana)

Bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)

Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis)

Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

Black oak (Quercus velutina)

Black walnut (Juglans nigra)

Black willow (Salix nigra)

Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus)

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

Grey dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

Honey locust (Gleditsia triancanthos)

Hop-Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

Paw paw (Asimina triloba)

Persimmon (Diosptros virginiana)

Pin oak (Quercus palustris)

Pussy willow (Salix discolor)

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

Red chokeberry (Photinia pyrifolia)

Red maple (Acer rubrum)

Red mulberry (Morus rubra)

Red oak (Quercus rubra)

Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)

River birch (Betula nigra)

Sandbar willow (Salix exigua)

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)

Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)

Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum)

Silky willow (Salix sericea)

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Smooth alder (Alnus serrulata)

Speckled alder (Alnus rugosa)

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)

Sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)

Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipfera)

White fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus)

White oak (Quercus alba)

White spruce (Picea glauca)

Willow oak (Quercus phellos)

Winterberry (Ilex vericillata)

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Yellow birch (Betula alleghanienis)

OUR TEAM HAS LEARNED SO MUCH AND CONTINUES TO BE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING OUR PROCESSES AS WE WORK TO MEET OUR GOAL TO PLANT 10 MILLION TREES IN PENNSYLVANIA BY 2025. THE SUPPORT WE RECEIVE FROM ONE TREE PLANTED CONTINUES TO BOLSTER THESE EFFORTS.

YOUR IMPACT ON THE MAP

The Pennsylvania 2023 - Keystone 10 Million Tree Partnership project established 497,902 trees on dozens of sites across Pennsylvania. Planting occurred on both public and private lands. Priority areas included agricultural lands in need of riparian buffers, urban and suburban sites with high runoff potential, and former minelandswithintheChesapeakeBayWatershed.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPACT

Forests across the globe are under threat from a variety of manmade disturbances that reduce tree diversity. Decreased tree diversity results in a cascade of negative ecological, social and economic consequences, such as degraded wildlife habitat, loss of species of cultural importance to indigenous communities, reduced recreationalvalue,andmostimportantly,reducedforestresilience.

Low tree diversity due to anthropogenic (man-made) disturbances contributes to reductions in forest resilience. Resilience is defined as the capacity of an ecosystem to return to its pre-disturbance condition following a disturbance, including maintaining its essential characteristics, composition, structure, functions, and processes. Forests characterized by high tree diversity are better able to withstand and recover from large-scale disturbances, such as wildfires and pest infestations. This increased capacity to recover is due to the presence of a variety of tree species with differing biological qualities. For example, some tree species are resistant to fire, but cannot withstand flooding, while others may be more adapted to flooding, butaresusceptibletodisease.

Accordingly, while a resilient forest may suffer some tree mortality following a disturbance, enough trees with resistance or adaptation to that disturbance will survive to allow the forest to continue to grow and function. Increasing the number of tree species in a forest therefore increases that forest’s ability to respond to and withstandagreatervarietyofthreats.

As climate change continues to accelerate, many of the disturbances that have shaped our forests for millennia will also change. We have already begun to see the implications: catastrophic wildfires, more powerful hurricanes, and extended droughts. The future of our forests depends on their ability to withstand and recover from new and more intense threats. Implementing forest restoration projects that increase tree diversity in disturbed forests will be critical to enhancing the resilience ofthesesystemsandsafeguardingthebenefitstheyprovidenowandinthefuture.

LANDSCAPE CONTEXT

Reforestation for Chesapeake Bay Watershed restoration

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, and its watershed, which encompasses 64,000 square miles and parts of six states, is the third largest in the world. The Watershed is occupied by a complex network of urban and rural communities, rivers, wetlands, and uplands. This dynamic natural system is home to more than 18 million people and 3,600 species of plants and animals, many of which are threatened or endangered. Additionally, both the Bay and its watershed are critical to local economies, supplying jobs, drinking water and recreational opportunities.

Despite ongoing efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, it remains severely impaired. Pollution from agricultural operations and other sources continue to impact water quality throughout the watershed, enabling the persistence of the Bay’s dead zone. Land-use changes and climate change impacts have caused further declines in the quality of both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, many of which were already degraded. Vital fisheries have also experienced negative impacts as the Bay continues to struggle — as evidenced by declines in some economically important species populations, such as blue crab.

Establishing healthy, diverse forests and tree cover in riparian areas is critical to improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Forests and vegetated riparian buffers can improve and protect water quality by reducing stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is the primary source of pollution in many waterways, including those that feed Chesapeake Bay.

Since 2020, with the help of donors like you, One Tree Planted has helped our partners plant more than 1.2 million trees across 82,000 acres of private and public land in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These plantings are helping to restore soil, water and habitat quality — and many additional ecosystem services, such as flood and erosion control and carbon sequestration.

DOCUMENTING YOUR IMPACT

Through authentic and informative storytelling, we help donors relate to the people who plant their trees and to the impact they're making for the planet. We share photos, videos, and updates from our global projects across our social media, website, and other media to create a personal connection to the incredible work happeningontheground.

YOUR SUPPORT OF THE KEYSTONE 10 MILLION TREES PARTNERSHIP HAS HELPED BUILD A MOVEMENT FROM THE GROUND UP THAT WILL FOREVER CHANGE THE SOURCING AND PLANTING OF TREES IN PENNSYLVANIA.

BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS

All of the 71 tree species planted for the Pennsylvania 2023 - Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership project are native species. This project will enhance biodiversity and habitat for the more than 900 wildlife species native to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, such as the eastern hellbender salamander (the Pennsylvania state amphibian). Diverse plantings are also more resilient to threats from pests, disease, and climate change, which helps to ensure their survival and the preservationoftheirlong-termvalue.

3,600 1,000,000

ACRES OF WETLANDS

1.5 MILLION 100,000+

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

The well-being of 18 million people depend on the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Local communities rely on the watershed for drinking water, economic stability, and recreational opportunities. Additionally, as part of a larger initiative, this project will benefit local tree growers, nurseries and associated industries throughincreaseddemandforproductsandservices,andworkforcedevelopment.

500 MILLION LBS.

18,971

50,000+

JOBS DEPENDENT ON BAY FISHERIE

75%

U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOLLOWING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:

WHAT ARE SDGS?

Sustainable development entails seeking out solutions that not only boost the economic outcomes of developing and poorer nations, but also work to limit (or eliminate)ourimpactontheplanet.Treesareonesuchsolution.

From creating jobs and reducing hunger to improving gender equality, cleaning air and water, absorbing carbon, protecting life on land and water, and more, planting trees can address all 17 sustainable development goals.

"We are grateful to be contributing to the reforestation of areas that provide a vital source of clean drinking water for Pennsylvanians."

Stephanie Rochemont Project Manager United States