On Sept. 17, LebTown reported the Lebanon Valley Conservancy was asking for volunteers to help them plant 1,000 trees in a cooperative project with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Read More: Lebanon Valley Conservancy needs volunteers to plant 1,000 trees this fall
Today we can report “Mission Accomplished” as more than 60 volunteers turned out Sept. 29, Oct. 2, and Oct. 5 to plant more than 1,250 trees across Lebanon County.
According to Laurie Crawford, Executive Director of The Lebanon Valley Conservancy (TLVC), a variety of native trees were planted at various locations including the Palmyra Sportsmen’s Association, the Lebanon VA Medical Center, and Lion’s Lake. TLVC has planted more than 3,000 trees in the last two years on private and public land.
“Planting trees is always popular,” said Crawford. “The volunteers included Conservancy staff, board members, individuals and groups from Lebanon Middle School, Lancaster County Career & Technology Center and the Boy Scouts of America.”
Lebanon County is primarily located in what is known as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Almost all of the water that flows through the county’s creeks and streams, eventually ends up in the Chesapeake bay. The tree-planting effort is a partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Keystone Ten Million Tree project, which hopes to counteract the negative environmental damage caused by conventional farming and rainwater runoff pollution before it gets to the Bay.
Update: Thanks to the astute LebTown readers who pointed out that portions of the eastern edge of Lebanon County actually falls into the Delaware watershed. See here for a map that will open in a new tab.
“Planting trees doesn’t just improve our local landscape,” said certified arborist and TLVC board member Jon Schach “They provide ecological benefits to the region including improved air quality, passive cooling and stormwater abatement. Trees also provide crucial forage and habitat for an array of Pennsylvania wildlife.”
TLVC hopes to plant 2,000 more trees this coming spring in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Individuals and businesses who are interested in helping with the planting, sponsoring the effort or make a donation are asked to call (717) 273-6400 or visit their website.
This post has been updated to clarify that Lebanon County has some areas that fall into the Delaware Watershed.
