The GIANT Company and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful awarded nearly $120,000 in support of 37 projects focused on tree planting projects across Pennsylvania.
Native trees play a critical role in protecting local ecosystems. They support wildlife, reduce erosion, and require less maintenance to thrive.
Tree planting efforts also help improve the appearance and safety of our communities, which can support long-term economic development.
The grant to North Branch Land Trust was the only money awarded to an organization in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
On Oct 18, staff and volunteers for the conservation group planted more than 100 trees in the sanctuary including basswood, black gum, cottonwood, serviceberry, sumac, sycamore and tulip poplar.
“We selected those species to increase diversity in the already diverse 17 acre sanctuary,” said Emma Thompson, Senior Director of Conservation & Operations for NBLT. “We introduced new but suitable species to encourage an understory that is currently full of low growing and shrubby species. We are working to increase forest regeneration for future generations and creating diversity is an excellent tool for a resilient forest with an unknown future of pests and diseases that might plague it.”
Forest Echo Sanctuary is on West Center Hill Road in Dallas Borough and features a 0.6 mile loop trail through a forest with songbirds, small mammals and whitetail deer. It is open from dusk to dawn.
North Branch Land Trust partners with landowners, communities, and stakeholders and has conserved more than 25,000 acres in Bradford, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. It also owns several preserves, including Forest Echo.
Since 2021, the Healing the Planet grant program has awarded over $1.3 million to 178 recipients, empowering projects that connect communities with green spaces, protect and improve local waterways and water resources, prevent, reduce, and recover food waste, and support native tree planting and habitat restoration.
“Native trees play a critical role in protecting local ecosystems,” said Heidi Pedicone, director of programs at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “They support wildlife, reduce erosion, and require less maintenance to thrive. Each grant recipient is making a lasting impact in their community, from restoring green spaces to protecting water resources across Pennsylvania. We’re proud to invest in these initiatives and are grateful for our partnership with The GIANT Company.”
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has supported community improvement initiatives and encouraged community leadership, responsibility, and respect for the environment since 1990.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a state affiliate of Keep American Beautiful, Inc. has more than 30 years of experience in organizing volunteer-driven community improvement events.
Visit the North Branch Land Trust website to learn more about land conservation, upcoming events and how you can get involved.
(Photo: Joe Butkiewicz, Director of Community Engagement – North Branch Land Trust.)
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Related Articles This Week:
-- DCNR Highlights $500,000 Investment In Planting Trees To Add Shade, Reduce Stormwater Runoff, Create Green Spaces [PaEN]
-- North Branch Land Trust Receives Healing The Planet Grant From The GIANT Company, Keep PA Beautiful To Support Native Tree Planting In Luzerne County [PaEN]
-- DCNR Grants: Grant Workshop Video Available On-Demand; Wildfire Fighting Grants; Bedford County Recreation Coordinator; Pine Creek Rail Trail Connection
-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education News Highlights Fall Lessons, Activities, Educator Workshops [PaEN]
-- William Penn Foundation Renews $12.9 Million Commitment To Expanding Circuit Trails In Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey [PaEN]
-- Apply Now! Spring Pennsylvania Master Naturalist Training Now Available In 9 Counties Across The State [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Altoona Mirror - Robert Swift: Population Growth Sparks Uncertainty For Michaux State Forest In Southcentral PA [PDF of Article]
-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: North Branch Land Trust Receives Healing The Planet Grant For Native Tree Planting
-- The Allegheny Front: How Falling Leaves Have Lasting Impact In Point State Park And Beyond Helping Insects, Wildlife
-- Post-Gazette Editorial: New Pittsburgh Mayor Should Build On Greenways Success Stories
-- WNEP: One Man Dead After ATV Crash In Wayne County
[Posted: November 15, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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