F&M Trust employees plant more than 500 trees and shrubs, create riparian buffer on Pa. farm

More than 250 employees of F&M Trust recently spent an afternoon on a Shippensburg farm planting trees and shrubs as part of a conservation effort led by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The employees planted more than 500 trees and shrubs on 3 acres of farmland, creating a riparian buffer that will increase water quality and reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which encompasses six states and 64,000 square miles, and is home to more than 18 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals.

“The true test of a community bank is to find a means to make distinct and permanent improvements to the areas it serves. Our employees certainly met that challenge and more with this project
 that will last a lifetime,” said G. Warren Elliott, Chairman of the Board for Franklin Financial Services Corporation, the bank’s holding company. “I want to thank each one of them personally for all the dedication and sweat equity that they demonstrated on behalf of our F&M Trust community.”

The bank’s project was part of the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, which is more than halfway to its goal of planting 10 million trees across Pennsylvania by 2025. Working with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the partnership strives to create clean water, reduce erosion, and stabilize the environment by planting trees within 300 feet of streams and waterways in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The trees
 filter nutrients, sequester carbon, provide habitats, and make oxygen.

“What we often don’t think about is the positive effects that trees have on a community, economy, and the physical and mental health of our residents,” said Joe Hallinan, a manager with the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership. “Students learn better, patients heal faster, and our minds are less anxious when we have access to outdoor green space. By planting trees today, we can leave our communities a better place for our children and grandchildren.”

The planting marked the bank’s annual observance of Banktoberfest, an event that since its inception in 2016 has emphasized team building and exceeding expectations. F&M Trust employees participate in a service project that contributes to the health, safety, and well-being of the communities the bank serves and those who live there.