Nearly 500 Trees to be Planted Across Mahoning Valley on Arbor Day Today

Trees donated by FirstEnergy will be planted by company's employee volunteers

AKRON, Ohio, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) is all set to celebrate Arbor Day today by donating nearly 500 trees to two locations in Mahoning County – Mill Creek MetroParks and Beaver Township Nature Preserve. Dozens of employee volunteers from FirstEnergy and Ohio Edison will plant 300 hardwood trees on the Mill Creek MetroParks' 402-acre farm in Canfield, while another group of company volunteers will be planting 160 trees at Beaver Township Nature Preserve in North Lima. 

Since April 2021, FirstEnergy has donated and planted more than 67,000 trees throughout its five-state service territory. The company is on track to plant more than 25,000 additional trees this year. This initiative is an important part of the company's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, promote responsible use of natural resources and further the advancement of sustainable practices.

Video and B-Roll footage from a previous tree-planting event in Mahoning County can be viewed and downloaded here.

Led by FirstEnergy's Green Team in northeast Ohio, the local tree-planting events on Friday are just a few examples of the dozens of projects employees will complete this year to help nearby parks, nature preserves and communities across FirstEnergy's entire footprint.

Jessica Shaffer, Advanced Scientist and Green Team Leader at FirstEnergy: "Planting trees is not just about growing roots, it's about cultivating relationships. FirstEnergy's commitment to responsible business is a testament to the employees' dedication to supporting the environment and the communities in which they work and live."

This year's donation of trees to Mill Creek MetroParks complements FirstEnergy's donation of more than 1,000 trees planted at MetroParks' properties last year. The company is also expected to donate and plant another 1,500 trees at the MetroParks' Collier Preserve in the fall to help expand Youngstown State University's Legacy Forest, which recognizes the school's first-year students.

Nick Derico, Natural Resources Manager at Mill Creek MetroParks: "We appreciate FirstEnergy and Ohio Edison's ongoing commitment to preserving our local environment so that our trees and wildlife can continue to thrive for many years. The trees will help restore forested habitat within the park that we've lost over the years, and we look forward to monitoring the trees and helping them along as they mature."

In addition to the trees that will be donated and planted at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm and Beaver Township Nature Preserve, FirstEnergy plans to donate nearly 250 trees to the Poland Municipal Forest in Poland on Friday, May 3. The trees will be planted throughout the property by FirstEnergy employee volunteers.

FirstEnergy's 10 Green Teams consist of employees from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia who volunteer their time and talents to support a wide variety of environmental initiatives. The groups plan to continue to partner with state park systems, watershed and recycling groups, garden clubs, schools and other environmentally focused organizations in the future to support FirstEnergy's commitment to building a brighter and more sustainable future.

Learn more about FirstEnergy's environmental and corporate responsibility efforts at fecorporateresponsibility.com.

Ohio Edison serves more than one million customers across 34 Ohio counties. Follow Ohio Edison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @OhioEdison and on Facebook at facebook.com/OhioEdison.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on X: @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.