Natural Lands celebrated a banner year for tree planting in 2025.  The non-profit conservation organization planted 22,500 trees across 75 acres at four of its nature preserves. The seedlings are all native species. As they mature, the trees will help reduce erosion, filter and recharge groundwater, clean and cool the air, sequester carbon, and provide habitat for insects and wildlife.

The large-scale plantings transformed meadows, former farm fields, and stream corridors at Diabase Farm Preserve (New Hope, Bucks County), Peacedale Preserve in Landenberg, Sadsbury Woods Preserve in Coatesville, and Stroud Preserve in West Chester. These preserves are free and open to the public year-round.

In addition, Natural Lands hosted several volunteer and member tree planting events where community members planted more than 1,000 trees at ChesLen in Coatesville and Stroud Preserves. 

The seedlings planted include red maple, silver maple, hornbeam, redbud, tuliptree, black gum, sycamore, white oak, swamp white oak, pin oak, chestnut oak, elderberry, and flowering dogwood. Planted at a density of about 300 trees per acre, the seedlings are protected from deer by five-foot-tall tree shelters that photo-degrade over time. The trees and shrubs were planted in 12-foot rows, wide enough to allow preserve stewardship staff to mow between them, which will reduce competition from other vegetation until the seedlings have matured.

“It’s really quite remarkable how much of a positive impact planting trees has on water quality,” said Gary Gimbert, vice president of stewardship for Natural Lands. “As these species mature, their roots allow water to penetrate deep into the ground, which reduces flooding and recharges underground aquifers. Alongside creeks, the tree roots stabilize the soil to reduce erosion.” 

In addition to improving water quality, the planting projects will re-establish forest cover and improve wildlife habitat. In particular, woodlands are essential for migratory songbirds—such as Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush—that rely on the dense forest for food and protection from the weather and predators.

When Europeans first explored Pennsylvania, trees covered 90 percent of the territory. Though the Native Americans who had lived in the region for thousands of years did clear some land for hunting and agriculture, famed naturalist John Bartram still found forests so thick it was “as if the sun had never shown on the ground since the creation.” But by 1850, millions of acres had been cleared for farming, timber, and firewood. 

Natural Lands is committed to restoring habitat on their nature preserves, which cover more than 23,000 acres of land across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Planting seedlings that will someday become thriving forests is part of this stewardship ethos.

Funding for these projects were provided by Conservancy Grant Program, the Commissioners of Chester County, the E. Kneale Dockstader Foundation, the generous donors to Natural Lands’ Preserve Restoration Fund, the Growing Greener Grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.