Final tree planting set at Flight 93 National Memorial

A reforestation project at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County is coming to an end with the final saplings going into the hallowed ground Friday and Saturday.

Donna Gibson, executive director of Friends of Flight 93, said the project’s completion is bittersweet. It’s been worthwhile to see the difference adding 150,000 native trees has made to the Stonycreek Township site. Thousands of volunteers have participated in springtime tree-planting events since 2012, excluding 2020.

“This project is one of the most successful reforestation projects in the Appalachian region,” Gibson said.

The memorial honors the 40 people aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, when it crashed in a field during coordinated terrorist attacks. The passengers and crew members struggled with terrorists who had hijacked the plane, thwarting an attempt to reach the nation’s capital.

Nearly 500 volunteers will work Friday and Saturday to plant about 14,000 seedlings on 20 acres near the Tower of Voices. Tree species planted over the years include pine, oak, spruce and American chestnut.

Businesses, groups and individuals from near and far have volunteered hours to get them in the ground.

“We have people that come from all over,” Gibson said.

That help has been integral in the project’s success, as has the assistance of researchers who regularly monitor the trees’ health and others who provide materials. Gibson said the American Chestnut Foundation, Green Forests Work, Penn State University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania have assisted with providing tree saplings and research.

There’s a lot of work that has gone into the reforestation outside of planting trees. Rosebud Mining helps to prepare the land, which was once a surface mine, under the eye of state agencies, Gibson said.

“I just think that it’s a project that is bigger than most people can even imagine,” she said. “We just have so many people who want to help and be engaged.”

With the reforestation project wrapping up, Gibson said the Friends of Flight 93 are working with the National Park Foundation and National Park Service to identify potential future volunteer endeavors. There have been more than 4,200 volunteers and 160 businesses, service clubs, academic and government organizations that assisted in the tree plantings.