National Park Foundation Celebrates Major Reforestation Project at Flight 93 National Memorial
WASHINGTON – In honor of National Arbor Day, the National Park Foundation is celebrating a decade of support to Flight 93 National Memorial and the Friends of Flight 93 to reforest the memorial site, which will host the 20th anniversary observance on September 11. On April 23, during the annual National Park Week volunteer tree planting event, over 200 volunteers helped plant approximately 6,800 seedlings, resulting in more than 136,000 trees planted since the first event in 2012.
“As the seedlings grow into trees over the years, they will create a living memorial landscape that provides visitors with a peaceful environment as they learn about and honor the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “The UPS Foundation’s incredible generosity allowed NPF and partners to restore native trees, which is such a critical element of the site. The native trees not only provide healing for the collective conscious, as everyone was impacted by the September 11 tragedy, but they also provide healing for the land itself, as a former surface coal mine.”
The UPS Foundation is the largest supporter to the National Park Foundation for the reforestation project, partnering with the Foundation since 2011 to support the tree planting events that began in 2012.
Since 2012, more than 4,000 volunteers have planted approximately 136,718 native tree seedlings across 197 acres at Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA.
The National Park Foundation’s support for Flight 93 National Memorial extends beyond reforestation of the park’s landscape to also include the design and construction of the memorial’s Tower of Voices, Memorial Plaza, Wall of Names, 40 Memorial Groves, and Field of Honor. In total, the National Park Foundation has raised and generated more than $50 million for Flight 93 National Memorial from more than 110,000 individuals, foundations, and corporations.
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The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.