A 60-acre forestry project in Emmitsburg, Maryland inspires new tree plantings in the city

Over the past several years, Stream Link Education has been steadily foresting 60 acres of land along Toms Creek in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Once a large collection of farm fields, the property is owned by Daughters of Charity, a national organization with deep roots in Emmitsburg and a commitment to environmental stewardship. 

“They have an interesting reforestation and environmentally conscious plan,” said Simon Arendt, program director for Stream Link Education. 

Starting in 2019, Stream Link Education began planting trees on the Emmitsburg property. The organization was founded in 2014 with the goal of expanding riparian forest buffers (trees growing alongside streams and rivers) in and around Frederick County, Maryland. 

Forest buffers are one of the most cost-effective ways of improving water quality, but have seen a net-loss in the watershed due mostly to commercial and residential development. Toms Creek, which starts in Pennsylvania, is a part of the Potomac River watershed, which eventually drains east to the Chesapeake Bay. Plantings along the creek are helping to limit sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus runoff and improve habitat for migratory fish. 

In the fall of 2025, Stream Link Education planted around 6,000 trees on one of the remaining fields owned by Daughters of Charity, bringing the total to about 18,000 trees. As a unique twist, Stream Link Education used one of its fall plantings to train another organization, Mobilize Frederick, on proper tree planting techniques. 

Mobilize Frederick is a local initiative to make the city more resilient to things like flooding and heatwaves. Funded by Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Chesapeake Bay Trust, the organization aims to plant 240 trees by 2026 as part of its Cooler Neighborhoods program, helping to achieve Frederick's goal of 40% tree canopy coverage.

“In October we’re going to be planting at 23 different sites in the City of Frederick,” said Kylie Baker, project director for Mobilize Frederick. “[They’re] urban sites mostly. Homeowners, a couple businesses, schools and homeowner associations.” 

Community engagement is a key element of Stream Link Education’s work. Since forming, the organization has worked with over 5,200 volunteers from nearby communities, schools, companies and local groups interested in their own environmental work, such as Mobilize Frederick. 

As Stream Link Education continues its work foresting the more rural parts of Frederick County, Mobilize Frederick is helping to expand trees inside of the city. Both forest buffers and urban trees are needed for a healthy Chesapeake Bay watershed. In the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, there is a Forest Buffer Outcome to restore 900 miles of riparian forest buffers per year, and a Tree Canopy Outcome to expand urban tree canopy by 2,400 acres. 

Stream Link Education is always looking for new volunteers to help achieve its mission. To learn more, visit the organization volunteer webpage.