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Pittsburgh City Council

An agreement to keep young volunteers working in city parks to last 10 years.

Written by Amy Whipple

Pittsburgh’s natural spaces may soon have a stronger root system for volunteers.

Council agreed to move forward with a 10-year agreement between the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) for continued volunteer services. 

The SCA, a national workforce development program, has operated in Pittsburgh since 2001. Volunteers ages 14 through 35 help maintain trails as well as plant trees and remove invasive species through the city’s parks.

Joanna Lemmon, SCA’s program director, said during council’s April 29 committee meeting that the organization’s spring plan focuses on increasing and maintaining the tree canopy. Funding comes from the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and does not require a match by the city.

According to the Forestry Division, the city’s average tree canopy cover is 41%; however, some economically disadvantaged neighborhoods’ is less than 20%. Higher coverage benefits people’s health and quality of life.

Last month, the city removed 100 trees on the North Shore to make room for the NFL Draft.

Lemmon said the proposed agreement will streamline planning logistics with DPW as well as allow SCA to add its own projects to an annual work plan.

Lisa Ceoffe, the city’s forester, said, “This agreement is an example of how future agreements with other nonprofits can work.”

Connections to this story

Topics:
Parks & Public Space
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · April 28, 2026
Sources:
Resolution 2026-0389 — authorizing the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Public Works ("DPW") and/or the Director of the Department…

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