Tree-planting ceremony adds 100 saplings to Hershey Medical Center campus

Penn State College of Medicine student Lisa Yoder planted trees on the Hershey campus during a special ceremony.

Volunteers from Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine — along with members of the Facilities Department Grounds team — planted 100 native saplings on the west side of the campus during a special tree-planting ceremony on Oct. 15.

Steven Furmanski, the campus’ facilities grounds manager, gave an overview of the campus’ landscape master plan, created in partnership with Lititz-based landscape architecture firm LandStudies Inc.

Attendees learned about the social, environmental, health and economic benefits of the plan, which aims to restore the campus’ natural and native landscape.

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“This event demonstrates our commitment to building and growing a sustainable and more native campus,” Furmanski says.

The ceremony supported Penn State Health and the College of Medicine’s participation in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, which aims to plant 10 million new trees in priority landscapes throughout Pennsylvania by the end of 2025. The Derry Township Municipal Authority also participates in the 10 Million Trees program.

In April, the Arbor Day Foundation named Hershey Medical Center a Tree Campus Healthcare facility, one of just 16 nationwide to earn the honor. It celebrates the efforts of health systems to create a healthier and greener property.

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