Responding to an alarming trend of the loss of trees in Pennsylvania’s metropolitan areas, TreeVitalize is a public-private partnership to help restore tree cover, educate citizens about planting trees as an act of caring for our environment, and build capacity among local governments to understand, protect and restore their urban trees.
Launched in 2004 in southeastern Pennsylvania, TreeVitalize already has achieved its goal of planting 20,000 trees in that five-county region. In spring 2008, TreeVitalize expanded to the Pittsburgh region; in fall 2008 and throughout 2009 it will be launched in metropolitan areas statewide.
Tree-lined streets make communities look great, and they also clean the air, provide shade to cool buildings and paved areas, increase property values and help control stormwater.
With its expansion statewide, TreeVitalize hopes to plant one million trees across the Commonwealth in the next five years.