HUMMELSTOWN, PA — Pennsylvania officials on Tuesday marked the planting of the 10 millionth tree under the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, a milestone state leaders say reflects accelerating efforts to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality amid growing environmental and regulatory pressure across the watershed.
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at Schaffner Park in Dauphin County for the ceremonial planting. The partnership, launched in 2018, reached its statewide target eight years after formation.
The coalition includes state agencies, conservation groups, businesses, local governments, and residents working to expand streamside forest buffers and reduce pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Officials framed the initiative as both an environmental restoration strategy and an infrastructure investment tied to water quality, flood mitigation, and climate resilience.
“Planting the ten millionth tree is a powerful reminder of what Pennsylvanians can accomplish when we work together for clean water and healthy communities,” Dunn said.
Shirley said Pennsylvania’s waterways remain central to the state’s environmental and economic strategy, noting the Commonwealth contains nearly 50,000 miles of waterways within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation linked the planting milestone to broader restoration targets tied to pollution reduction and habitat recovery across the multi-state watershed.
“As home to the Susquehanna, Pennsylvania plays an outsized role in the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” Chesapeake Bay Foundation President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk said.
The announcement comes as Pennsylvania continues facing scrutiny over Chesapeake Bay cleanup obligations. State officials pointed to more than $1 billion in combined public and nonprofit investments over the last four years, alongside expanded agricultural conservation programs and stream restoration projects.
According to the release, Pennsylvania reduced nitrogen pollution flowing into the Bay at a rate ten times greater over the past five years than during the previous decade. Officials also cited 139 miles of restored streams, nearly 945 miles of streamside forest buffers planted in the past two years, and approximately 1.5 million new trees added during that period.
The Shapiro administration said more than 2,000 farmers have received technical or financial assistance through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program to implement practices including no-till farming, wetland restoration, and streambank fencing.
State officials also highlighted recent University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science findings showing the Chesapeake Bay in its healthiest condition in more than two decades, with the Upper Bay — fed largely by Pennsylvania waterways — scoring among the strongest-performing regions in the watershed.
Since 2023, DCNR has awarded roughly $23.5 million through more than 70 grants supporting tree plantings, buffer restoration, and lawn-to-habitat conversion projects statewide.
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