South Philadelphia residents will have an opportunity to help restore neighborhood green spaces, plant trees and prepare parks for winter during Philadelphia’s annual Love Your Park Fall Weekend, Nov. 13-15.
More than 100 volunteer groups across the city will organize cleanup and planting events, including several in South Philadelphia. The signature event will take place on Nov. 14 at South Philly’s Stephen Girard Park, where volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Activities will include planting trees and shrubs, collecting fallen leaves, removing litter and pulling weeds. The event also will feature a DJ, children’s activities and a speaking program with city officials, Fairmount Park Conservancy representatives and community partners.
Organizers say volunteers of all ages and experience levels are welcome. Tools and gloves will be provided. Registration is available at loveyourpark.org.
The weekend’s planting efforts carry added significance for South Philadelphia, where summer microbursts damaged and brought down trees in neighborhood parks.
Four of the five parks participating in a citywide tree-planning pilot will plant young trees recommended through the program during the volunteer weekend. Those sites include Dickinson Square Park, Jefferson Square Park and Stephen Girard Park as well as two other locations elsewhere in the city.
The Park Trees of Tomorrow initiative is led by Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and neighborhood Park Friends groups. The program combines community input with professional tree assessments to determine where new trees should be planted, which species are best suited to each park and how the trees should be maintained.
The goal is to create a healthier, more resilient tree canopy by ensuring parks have trees at different stages of growth.
Across Philadelphia, Love Your Park volunteers are expected to plant 196 trees in about 40 parks. Fairmount Park Conservancy also plans to add more than 1,250 trees to the city’s urban forest this fall through natural land care, volunteer events and community stewardship programs.
“Our parks are the heart of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, and Love Your Park highlights the important role our communities play in caring for these shared spaces,” said Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson.
South Philadelphia residents also can volunteer at Jefferson Square Park at 300 Washington Ave., where a cleanup and planting event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 14.
Another nearby opportunity will be at Stinger Square in Grays Ferry, 3200 Reed St. Volunteers there will gather from 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 14. A full list of participating parks can be found at myphillypark.org.
Fairmount Park Conservancy CEO Tony Sorrentino said the volunteer weekend gives residents an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to neighborhood green spaces.
“Caring for your local park is a powerful expression of civic pride,” Sorrentino said. ••
