Philadelphia Reforestation Hub will upcycle urban wood waste to support the city’s climate goals

Parks & Rec partnered with Cambium and PowerCorpsPHL to launch the Philadelphia Reforestation Hub. The Hub will help the City meet its waste reduction, climate, and community impact goals.

This initiative will feature a workforce development program led by PowerCorpsPHL. It will create climate career opportunities for at-risk young adults.

The first-of-its-kind public-private-partnership initiative will:

• Provide climate workforce training opportunities.

• Save money on wood waste removal.

• Contribute to the City's sustainability goals.

Roughly, 36 million trees fall in U.S. cities a year due to:

• Development.

• Natural disasters.

• Disease.

• Decay.

The majority of the dead trees end up in landfills or burned. The Reforestation Hub addresses this issue by upcycling fallen City trees. It is a key part of the City's plan to divert over 90 percent of its waste from landfills by 2035.

Instead of taking fallen trees to the landfill, the wood waste will go to the Hub. Then it will be transformed into a carbon-negative building material, Carbon Smart Wood.

The City will use the building material for:

• Tree stakes.

• Construction.

• Furniture.

• Decking and more.

PowerCorpsPHL operates the hub located at the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center (ORC). It runs a "green collar" workforce development program that trains young residents how to process and manage this lumber.

It provides participants with the skills necessary to secure jobs in the fields of:

• Energy.

• Green Infrastructure.

• Community-based careers.

The project aligns with Mayor Cherelle Parker's vision for the city that is safer, cleaner, and greener with economic opportunities for all.