We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you to everyone who made the 2025 Volunteer Tree Planting Relay (Treelay) possible! Over the course of the day on April 5, 2025, the Alliance team, partners, and 186 dedicated volunteers planted 1,200 trees across the watershed.

Your effort is now a part of the legacy working to improve the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. See some highlights of the 2025 Treelay below.

 

Elizabethtown, PA

25 volunteers joined Alliance staff in Elizabethtown, PA to celebrate the kickoff of the 2025 Treelay. The volunteers planted 140 trees!

a group of people plant tree seedlings in a field

Volunteers get to work bright and early to help plant trees at Stoneybrook HOA.

 

Westminster, MD

Westminster celebrated Treelay a little differently this year – with some restoration stream monitoring!

a person in the foreground records data on a clipboard while people in the background take measurements in a small stream

Post-tree plantings from 2022 to 2024, the Alliance returned with 5 volunteers from the Monocacy River Citizens Advisory Board to conduct restoration stream monitoring on 60 meters of Copps Branch in Wakefield Valley Park. This monitoring tracks the changes in stream health from the riparian forest buffers planted. Thank you again to our wonderful volunteers for all their time and efforts in helping the Alliance protect our streams and forests.

 

Wheaton, MD

For the next leg of the relay, we gathered at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Wheaton to plant 15 trees among the other green infrastructure projects on the campus. After our 35 volunteers completed the planting, folks enjoyed hand made tamales graciously donated by our participants with The Popal Group.

a group of people gathered around a speaker in a permeable parking lot

The Alliance team also gave volunteers a tour of other green infrastructure installations at St. Catherine’s, including rain gardens and this permeable pavement parking lot.

 

Lancaster, PA

Another 62 volunteers joined us at a Lancaster farm to plant over 600 trees.

a person pounds a stake into the ground to prepare for seedling planting

The productivity was in full effect to plant all those trees during this leg of the relay!

 

Bowie, MD

For this Treelay shift, the Bowie State University community came together to plant 20 more trees to help beautify their campus! Read more about this Treelay event from BSU student and Alliance Environmental Projects Intern, Alex DuBuclet!

Two people dig a hole with shovels

Two Bowie State student volunteers prepare a hole for one of the trees planted.

 

Alexandria, VA

22 volunteers gathered at Bren Pointe – The Isabella to plant 150 urban trees in the residential area.

a group of people pose for a group picture in front of a treeline

Volunteers come together for a group picture.

 

Annapolis, MD

12 volunteers gathered at Annapolis Overlook to plant 10 urban trees in the residential area.

a group of people pose for a picture next to a tree seedling

Alliance team members and volunteers show off one of the newly-planted trees that will provide future canopy for residents.

 

Spring Grove, PA

33 more volunteers joined us for another Pennsylvania shift in Spring Grove for the final site of our 2025 Treelay. The volunteers planted 290 trees!

two children hold up an arch of small black pots

Volunteers found time to have some fun with the pots used to house the seedlings planted.

 

A very special thank you to our dedicated volunteers and sponsors for making this year’s Treelay a success! Join us next year.

See more photos from the 2025 Treelay