NJ Tree Foundation Receives $60,000 Grant from MKM Foundation

June 6, 2016 – Camden, NJ – On June 6, 2016 the NJ Tree Foundation received a three-year, $60,000 grant from the MKM Foundation to plant trees in the City of Camden. This generous donation will be paid in $20,000 per year increments in June of 2016, 2017, and 2018. This funding will be used to beautify neighborhoods throughout the city. The MKM Foundation grant will support the NJ Tree Foundation’s Urban Airshed Reforestation Program, which works with Camden residents, schools, and community organizations to implement community-based tree-planting events.36th st

“This grant is very exciting for us, as it allows us to plant trees anywhere in Camden where there is a need,” explains NJ Tree Foundation Senior Program Director Jessica Franzini, “I have a waiting list of high-impact projects. Some of them have been on the waiting list for over a year and will now be implemented with the MKM Foundation funding.”

The NJ Tree Foundation’s Urban Airshed Reforestation Program has planted trees in Camden since 2002. So far, 6,076 trees have been planted. The MKM Foundation grant of $60,000 will allow many more Camden residents to receive trees over the next three years, increasing quality of life and contributing to a more livable city.

Pictured top left: New trees planted in 2016 line N. 36th Street in East Camden, taken by The Darling Light Photography

FREE Right Tree Right Place Seminar 7/21/2016!

The New Jersey Tree Foundation and Public Service Electric & Gas are offering a FREE seminar on Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place, the Right Way on Thursday, July 21st at the Passaic County Public Safety Academy, 300 Oldham Road, Wayne, NJ.  Please RSVP by Friday, July 15, 2016 to Lisa Simms LSimms@NJTreeFoundation.org

Topics include:

  • Planting the right tree, in the right place, the right way
  • The importance of utility mark-outs prior to planting
  • Emerald Ash Borer – It’s here! Now what?
  • Vegetation management policies to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of electric service
  • Grant opportunities

 Who should attend? Mayors, Freeholders, DPW Supervisors, Environmental & Shade Tree Commissioners, County Officials and any other interested parties. Space is limited. First come first served.

Date: Thursday, July 21, 2016

Time: Registration begins at 8:15 am. Program starts promptly at 9:00 am and runs until 12:30 pm.

Place: Passaic County Public Safety Academy, 300 Oldham Road, Room 122-A&B, Wayne, NJ 

A continental breakfast will be served.

This seminar is worth 3 Continuing Education Units for towns with a 5-year Community Forestry Management Plan.

Please RSVP by Friday, July 15th to LSimms@njtreefoundation.org

If you would like send a representative(s), please include their names and contact information (email address).

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NJ Tree Foundation’s Renaissance Trees Program Celebrates 10 Years

May 23, 2016Newark, New Jersey – This spring, the NJ Tree Foundation’s Renaissance Trees Program is hitting a milestone: ten years of planting trees in Newark. The Program began in 2006 to reforest New Jersey’s brick city. The NJ Tree Foundation celebrated the ten year anniversary of the Newark Renaissance Trees Program, and Newark’s 350th anniversary, by planting 16 trees and 350 edible plants at the Garden of Hope on Saturday May 21st.

may21planting-41“We have great partners that helped us celebrate our 10 year anniversary,” explains Elena López, Program Director for the NJ Tree Foundation. “Prudential brought about 20 employee volunteers and donated 350 edible plants. Newark SAS and other partners will take care of the trees long term.”

The NJ Tree Foundation’s Renaissance Trees Program has planted more than 2,400 trees in Newark to date and removed more than 20,300 square feet of concrete to plant those trees. Saturday’s planting included removing 176 square feet of concrete. Removing concrete and planting trees improves watershed health and reduces the stormwater burden on Newark’s combined sewer system. It is estimated that the new tree pits alone will allow 8,250 gallons of stormwater to filter naturally on an annual basis rather than become polluted runoff.

“Trees are a great solution to many urban environmental problems,” López notes, “They reduce stormwater runoff, clean the air, shade homes to reduce cooling bills, and bring beauty to neighborhoods. Two of the trees planted at the Garden of Hope are fruit trees, which have the added benefit of creating new, local sources for fresh and affordable produce.”

 Newark residents and visitors are now able to enjoy the 16 new trees planted to celebrate the Renaissance Trees Program’s 10 year anniversary, and very soon the community gardeners at the Garden of Hope will harvest the bounty of the 350 edible plants that went in the ground. The shade and fruit trees are expected to live for decades, benefiting people today and future generations as part of the Newark 350 Gives legacy.

Newark TreeKeepers Workshops

Join the NJ Tree Foundation this June for our Newark TreeKeepers Workshops!  These classroom sessions are a series of 3 workshops and hands-on trainings that will teach you how to maintain and enhance the health of your community’s trees.

IMG_2763SPACE IS LIMITED: while FREE to Newark residents, you must RSVP to participate. Please register for each session you will attend. Attend all three sessions to become a Certified Newark Treekeeper!

To RSVP or for more information, please contact our Newark Director, Elena López:(609) 439 -1755  or elopez@njtreefoundation.org.

All sessions will be held at the Weequahic Park Fieldhouse: 92 Carmichael Dr, Newark NJ

Tuesday June 7      6:00- 8:00 PM
Session 1: Basic Tree Biology and Tree Identification

Tuesday June 14   6:00-8:00 PM
 Session 2: Tree Planting, Pruning and Maintenance

Tuesday June 21    6:00-8:00 PM
Session 3: Trees and Your Watershed

Newark residents attend at no charge. Non-Newark residents pay $20/session. All attendees receive free tools, educational materials, and dinner at each workshop. 2 CEUs are earned per session, which can be applied toward your state approved Community Forestry Management Plan requirements.

These workshops are made possible thanks to the Watershed Institute in Pennington NJ.

 

NJ Tree Foundation hosts 60-fruit tree giveaway in Camden

May 11, 2016, Camden, NJfruit tree 1The rain on Saturday May 7th did not stop 22 community and backyard gardeners from picking up 60 fruit trees from the NJ Tree Foundation. Pear, apple, plum, and apricot trees were disbursed to be planted throughout Camden as part of a grant the NJ Tree Foundation received from the Campbell Soup Foundation.

“Camden residents have limited options to obtain affordable, fresh produce within city limits. This project is creating new food access points for residents while empowering them to grow their own food,” said Jessica Franzini, Senior Program Director for the NJ Tree Foundation. Franzini led the giveaway on Saturday. She taught gardeners about fruit tree planting and care and provided tools, mulch, and educational materials to each garden so they could properly care for their trees. Franzini noted, “I will keep in touch with the gardeners over the summer and we will have a Harvest Party in the fall to share lessons from the season. Some gardeners have never grown fruit before. We want them to have a positive experience.”

The event was held at the Vietnamese Community Garden in East Camden, which received six fruit trees. Lan Dinh of VietLead, who works in the garden, explained, “This is an intergenerational and multiracial garden of Vietnamese elders and youth of various backgrounds and ethnicities. Our new fruit trees, which include Asian pears, apples, and apricots, will offer diversity to our garden and help feed the families who rely on this garden for fresh food.”

fruit tree 3Most gardens received one to three fruit trees. The Yorkship School obtained the most, with 15 teachers taking 10 fruit trees for their school garden. The teachers planted the trees in the afternoon after picking them up in the morning with help from Pacesetters of South Jersey. Students will care for the trees and enjoy the fruit. The Yorkship School is registered with Sustainable Jersey for Schools and two of their teachers completed free NJ Tree Foundation tree care workshops to become Certified TreeKeepers.

Pastor Odessa Edmond, of the Whitman Park neighborhood, picked up two fruit trees. “Our church waited two years for our fruit trees. The families at our church will benefit from this harvest for years to come,” the Pastor explained.

In total, 22 community and backyard gardens benefited from the project in neighborhoods such as East Camden, Cramer Hill, North Camden, Lanning Square, Morgan Village, Whitman Park, and Cooper Grant. All fruit trees were gone by early afternoon but that did not stop more Camden residents from coming to see how they could get a fruit tree.

Franzini mentioned, “The NJ Tree Foundation had a waiting list for fruit trees before this event and now we have another one. We hope to hold an event like this next spring, as it was such a success.”

All tree species provided are semi-dwarfing, self-pollinating trees from HopeWell Nursery in Bridgeton. The NJ Tree Foundation and nursery staff worked together to pick species that will survive well in urban environments. The NJ Tree Foundation thanks the Campbell Soup Foundation for their support which made this event possible.

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#NewarkGives: Thank you for your contributions!

May 4, 2016 – Newark, New Jersey –newark yay On Tuesday May 3rd, the Newark community and beyond united to celebrate Newark’s 350th anniversary by donating to the city they love. Newark Celebration 350 hosted the online giving event which raised funds for four legacy projects. The NJ Tree Foundation’s legacy project is planting 350 trees in Newark!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our legacy project. #NewarkGives had so much interest that it broke the internet! The giving server crashed and donations could not be accepted for several hours. If you tried but were unable to donate to the legacy gift of planting 350 trees in Newark, please donate directly to the NJ Tree Foundation. Write “Newark350Gives” in the box that asks “Where do you want your donation to go?” Your contribution will help us leave a legacy of 350 new trees in Newark, trees that will be enjoyed by generations to come!

#NewarkGives: Help the NJ Tree Foundation plant 350 trees!

social-image-1x1May 3, 2016 – Newark, NJ – The Newark 350 Gives giving day is here! The NJ Tree Foundation and Newark community unite today, Tuesday May 3rd, for a special 24-hour online giving campaign in celebration of Newark’s 350th anniversary. Your donation will help us plant 350 trees in Newark! Any donation large or small will help.

Today, Newark 350 Gives hopes to raise $350,000 in only 24 hours to fund five Legacy Gifts, projects of historical, community, arts and educational significance, that will live beyond this historic milestone year and instill civic pride and connection for generations to come! The NJ Tree Foundation’s legacy gift is planting 350 trees in Newark. Imagine: 50 or more years from now, someone will enjoy a tree that YOU helped plant by making a donation. That is quite a legacy!

Please donate and spread the word to other tree-lovers in your life. Together, we can make a $350,000 impact!

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NJ Tree Foundation Celebrates Arbor Day 2016

April 29, 2016 – New Jersey – 10325366_10152488848273273_4809332432604534827_nOn Friday, April 29th, the NJ Tree Foundation and tree lovers across New Jersey and the country  are celebrating Arbor Day! Arbor Day celebrates trees by encouraging tree planting and tree care. What are you doing to celebrate Arbor Day? Our recommendations are:

1) Plant a tree. Make sure you follow the right tree, right place, right way mantra!

2) Care for a tree. Pull weeds surrounding the tree and lay fresh mulch around the tree, leaving a 2 inch gap around the base of the tree.

3) Donate to Newark 350 Gives! The NJ Tree Foundation will plant 350 trees with funding from Newark 35o Gives. If you can’t plant a tree yourself this Arbor Day, donate to help one be planted in the future. Learn more about Newark 350 Gives by visiting their website.

 

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The NJ Tree Foundation will join the New Jersey Forest Service and others to celebrate Arbor Day at Veterans Memorial Park in Parsippany, NJ. A ceremony will be held to commemorate the 67th New Jersey State Arbor Day Celebration.

NJ Tree Foundation Named Beneficiary of Newark 350 Gives!

April 22, 2016 – Newark, New Jersey – Mark your calendars to donate to Newark 350 Gives on Tuesday May 3rd – your donation will help to plant 350 trees in Newark to celebrate Newark’s 350th anniversary!

boylan street newarkThe NJ Tree Foundation is honored to be a beneficiary of Newark 350 Gives, which is seeking to raise $350,000 for nonprofits accomplishing amazing work in Newark.  Newark 350 Gives is part of Newark Celebration 350, a year-long jubilee of events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of Newark’s founding. The NJ Tree Foundation will use money raised through Newark 350 Gives to plant 350 trees in Newark over four seasons, beginning fall 2016. Leave a legacy in Newark by contributing to planting trees! Your donation will benefit generations of Newark residents and visitors as the trees thrive for years to come.

Newark 350 Gives launches its giving on Tuesday, May 3rd, but you can give now too!