Arbor Day Tree Planting In Newtown Square To Mitigate Erosion, Runoff

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Newtown Township Parks and Recreation Department is inviting residents to help keep the area green by planting trees on Arbor Day.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 at Brookside Park at Bryn Mawr Avenue and Brookside Road, community members can help the department's goal of planting 1000 trees over a five-year period.

Those interested in volunteering at the Arbor Day event don't need any experience to help out.

However, volunteers should bring their own gardening gear, such as boots, gloves, kneeling pads, water bottles, and shovels if possible.

Two arborists will help volunteers with their planting efforts.

Register to volunteer at the event online here.

The trees to be planted on Arbor Day will be placed near Foxes Run, which is part of the Darby Creek watershed, Newtown Township Parks and Recreation Chair Wade Pollock said.

"They will help to mitigate stream bank erosion and curtail storm water runoff in the future," Pollock said in an email to Patch. "These efforts help to minimize flooding in lower lying communities downstream during significant rain events. The trees will also provide wildlife habitats as they mature. "

This tree planing program started in 2021 and will continue through 2026.