{"id":47194,"date":"2026-04-22T10:50:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=47194"},"modified":"2026-04-22T11:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:26:06","slug":"planting-with-a-purpose-schoolyard-forests-program-grows-through-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/04\/22\/planting-with-a-purpose-schoolyard-forests-program-grows-through-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Planting with a Purpose: Schoolyard Forests Program Grows Through Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

State agencies connect outdoor learning with the Maryland 5 Million Trees initiative<\/em><\/p>\n

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Students at Northview Elementary School in Prince George’s County plant a tree on April 20, 2026 with an assist from the Maryland Forest Service. Maryland DNR photo<\/p><\/div>\n

For Earth Week, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are collaborating to increase participation in the Schoolyard Forests Program, part of the Maryland 5 Million Trees initiative.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Schoolyard Forests Program<\/a>, which is administered by the DNR Maryland Forest Service, helps schools create outdoor spaces that support student well-being and enrich learning through tree planting, tree care, and environmental education. The\u00a05 Million Trees program<\/a>\u00a0has reached more than 1.5 million native trees planted, marking a major milestone toward the state\u2019s goal of planting 5 million trees by 2031. Earlier this week, the three agencies held a tree planting event at Northview Elementary School in Prince George\u2019s County Public Schools where students planted 30 redbud, flowering dogwood, and tulip poplar trees.<\/p>\n

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State and school officials celebrate Earth Week with a tree planting at Northview Elementary School in Prince George’s County. Maryland DNR photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAs students take part in planting and caring for these trees, they are not only learning about the environment, but building a sense of pride and connection to their schools and communities,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools. \u201cThe Schoolyard Forest Program shows the power of hands-on learning to inspire our youth and protect our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy expanding the Schoolyard Forests Program, we are helping schools across Maryland create healthier, greener spaces where students can learn, play, and connect with nature,\u201d said\u00a0Secretary Serena McIlwain, Maryland Department of the Environment. \u201cThese projects show how tree planting can bring communities together, improve air quality, and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStudy after study has shown that children perform better academically, develop enhanced problem-solving skills, and have reduced stress levels when they have access to outdoor learning opportunities at their schools,\u201d said\u00a0Secretary Josh Kurtz, Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/strong>. \u201cBy adding new trees and outdoor spaces to more schools in Maryland we\u2019re creating these improved learning opportunities and ensuring that more students have access to natural areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Maryland Department of Natural Resources Deputy Secretary David Goshorn talks with Northview Elementary School students. Maryland DNR photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Schoolyard Forest Program advances Maryland\u2019s climate, water quality, and education goals under the Climate Solutions Now Act, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The program helps support equitable access to green spaces and outdoor learning opportunities statewide, which is consistent with the Governor\u2019s Executive Order to empower Maryland\u2019s youth through the\u00a0Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since 2024, the Schoolyard Forests Program has partnered with the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education and has\u00a0completed more than 45 school planting projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

State agencies connect outdoor learning with the Maryland 5 Million Trees initiative For Earth Week, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are collaborating to increase participation in the Schoolyard Forests Program, part of the Maryland 5 Million Trees initiative. The\u00a0Schoolyard Forests  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,1965,23],"tags":[5313,3605,5501,3402,5368],"class_list":["post-47194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-maryland-forest-service","category-land","tag-5-million-trees","tag-maryland-department-of-environment","tag-maryland-outdoor-learning-partnership","tag-maryland-state-department-of-education","tag-tree-planting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47194"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47204,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47194\/revisions\/47204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}