More trees, please! Three enthusiastic volunteers—Jay Brenneman, Rick Cooper, and Wendy Smith—began exploring native tree propagation independently, unaware of each other's efforts.
Jay and Rick are both Master Watershed Stewards in York County.
Their paths crossed at a local tree-planting event, where Rick noticed Jay gathering boxelder seeds to plant.
They struck up a conversation and discovered they shared the same passion: growing trees to help save the Chesapeake Bay!
Almost immediately, they began collaborating by exchanging seed propagation techniques and sharing their experiences in tree growing.
Rick had been buying trees and shrubs for years, collecting seeds and experimenting with growing trees to plant on his family's forest land in Juniata County.
After attending some of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s tree plantings, he scavenged for empty pots to take home and grow trees himself.
He initially grew a few hundred trees at a time to donate back to the Alliance for their plantings.
Jay was doing something similar; he also started his tree propagation journey after attending tree planting events.
Their combined efforts blossomed into something impactful: the Pennsylvania Seedling Cooperative, which currently consists of three nurseries.
Of the three nurseries in the seedling cooperative, Indian Rock Nursery has become the main hub for volunteers, including Master Watershed Stewards and community members.
Jay organizes workdays at the nursery where volunteers gather to clean and prepare pots for planting, move soil bags, and fill pots and trays. Afterward, Jay delivers the filled pots to the other two nurseries.
There are numerous opportunities for earning volunteer hours, as small work parties are organized to accommodate varying schedules based on volunteer requests.
Jay particularly enjoys working alongside volunteers, especially young adults, as they bring energy and engaging conversations to the tasks.
He takes great pleasure in sharing the knowledge he gained from his Master Watershed Steward training and his experiences with tree propagation at the nursery.
Jay remarked, "Combining the three nurseries into the PA Seeding Cooperative has simplified the logistics, allowed larger volunteer groups to gather at Indian Rock Nursery, and enabled each grower to focus on their strengths."
This year has been exceptional for the three nurseries! Growing trees requires the dedicated effort of many individuals and meticulous preparation.
Over 50 volunteers contributed their time to various tasks, including sanitizing pots, filling them, planting seeds, nurturing the trees, and watering them.
Together, we potted a variety of native trees, such as sycamores, tulip trees, black gums, silver maples, hickories, and oaks, all in 3"x3"x9" rocket pots.
Additionally, Jay offered classes for volunteers interested in learning tree propagation, allowing participants to take home their trees for care before planting.
With the support of volunteers, Indian Rock Nursery successfully grew 5,650 trees this year, an increase from 4,500 last year.
In total, all three nurseries cultivated over 13,000 trees for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Penn State Extension, and other affiliated organizations.
Indian Rock Nursery also provided over 6,400 filled pots to the other two nurseries in the cooperative, allowing the skilled growers there to focus on nurturing trees rather than performing labor-intensive tasks.
This project is a collaboration between Penn State Extension and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
Rick commented, "The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has been a great partner, providing resources, expertise, and effective communication. Now, when I'm at a planting, I can usually identify which grower produced the tree I'm planting."
One of the most impactful actions a person can take to improve water quality is to plant trees.
The PA Seedling Cooperative is making a significant contribution to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
By welcoming volunteers and sharing knowledge, passion, and hard work, along with thousands of trees, they are "Saving the Bay" one tree at a time.
Their annual goal is to grow a total of 15,000 trees. This year, they came remarkably close, finishing just 2,000 trees short of their goal.
Will they achieve that goal next year? With your help, I have no doubt!
If you are interested in volunteering at the Indian Rock Nursery, reach out to Jodi Sulpizio at jrb143@psu.edu.
Click Here for the Penn State Extension article.
[ Visit the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program webpage to learn more about becoming a Watershed Steward.]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP Awards $3.1 Million In Federal Funds To Support 8 Local Water Quality Improvement Projects In 8 Counties [PaEN]
-- York County Master Watershed Stewards Growing Native Trees For The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Effort [PaEN]
-- EPA, DEP Announce Hanover Foods Agrees To Pay $1.15 Million Penalty For Clean Water Act Violations At Its York County Plant [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension/Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay: Dec. 10 Funding Forest Conservation Work Webinar [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Chesapeake Bay Program: The Decades-Long Effort To Restore Brook Trout Habitat In The Kettle Creek Watershed, Potter County
[Posted: November 18, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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