FirstEnergy Green Team Transforms Large Grassy Slope to a Future Forest
Some creative solutions are taking root in western Pennsylvania, where FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania Green Team has teamed up with Allegheny County Parks to plant more than 300 native Pennsylvania trees along South Park’s “Daffodil Hill.”
“This steep, open field isn’t suited for recreation, but it has incredible potential for ecological restoration,” said Braden Meiter, Lead Supervisory Ranger for Allegheny County Parks. “Unlike large grassy areas, native trees and plants can provide rich, diverse habitats that benefit local wildlife and promote a healthier ecosystem.”
Reducing large grassy swaths throughout this sprawling park in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, once home to numerous family farms, is a deliberate strategy that Meiter said makes dollars and sense for several reasons:
- Less manpower for mowing
- Less fuel consumed
- Less wear and tear on machinery
- Less pollution – both for the air and ears
- Less erosion from runoff
Two dozen Green Team volunteers recently joined park rangers to plant 325 trees – including dogwood, black oak, red bud and persimmon saplings all donated by FirstEnergy. The trees will help the existing woods overtake the meadow. As those trees mature, they will help absorb much of the runoff that routinely overwhelms South Park’s storm drains and streams, causing erosion.
Since 2020, FirstEnergy’s employees have volunteered countless hours to plant more than 100,000 trees across the utility’s six-state footprint. The Green Teams have already surpassed 6,000 trees planted so far in 2025 toward a goal of 25,000 for the year.
“This is my first time planting trees,” said Julie Sofaly, Manager of Transmission Protection based in FirstEnergy’s Greensburg facility. “I usually volunteer in the pollinator gardens. I encourage more people to get involved.”
Green Team volunteers dedicate their time to various environmental initiatives, including park cleanups, tree-planting events and creating pollinator gardens.
Allegheny County relies on volunteers to do the heavy lifting when it comes to planting thousands of trees throughout its public parks. “About 95% of the trees we plant in our parks are done by volunteers like FirstEnergy,” Meiter said. “And it’s always great to get free trees. They’re really expensive. It’s a huge help.”
The ranger invited Green Team members to return to Daffodil Hill with their families in a couple of years to see how their efforts are benefiting the park’s inhabitants such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, moles and white-tail deer.
“The trees will also provide vital habitat for small birds, amphibians and reptiles that are going to live in and around them,” Meiter said. “They can feed on some of the fruits and nuts produced by those trees. It really helps to improve the health of our parks and ecosystems here.”
Learn more about FirstEnergy’s environmental and corporate responsibility efforts to build a brighter and more sustainable future at FE Corporate Responsibility.