Business supporters are an important asset to the work we do at Heritage Conservancy. On November 7th, five staff members from Hertz Car Rental joined our weekly Fridays in the Forest volunteers, along with community members from the Lower Bucks County Athletic Association, for a tree planting at our Croydon Woods Nature Preserve.

In 2017, 15 red maples were planted on land that we lease to the Little League. Young trees generally have a poor survival rate. In this case, eight of the original trees did not make it, creating the need for this month’s tree planting. Although these trees were not planted in the forest itself, they provide significant benefits by contributing to the hydrologic cycle and reducing flash flooding and runoff, plus by providing shade to guests at the field.

The volunteers from Hertz came from three different branches—Philadelphia, Bucks, and Montgomery counties—and also included regional managers. Along with a $2000 donation from the company to cover the costs of trees and delivery, these volunteers helped us plant eight red maples averaging 13 to 15 feet in height, much larger in size than those typically planted.

It was a team effort as everyone divided into two groups. One group used machinery to dig out the old trees while the other prepped the new trees, placed them in the ground, and backfilled the remaining soil.

We want to give a big thank you to Hertz for their generous donation and the collective 10 hours of volunteer work provided by their staff to make this important planting a success!