Greening New Jersey, one tree at a time.
It’s that time of year again! NJ Tree Foundation Urban Airshed Reforestation Program will host its annual tree care workshop, TreeKeepers, on June 9th, 2018. TreeKeepers is a fun way for residents and recent tree recipients to get a more in-depth lesson on how to care for their trees, and provides free tools that are helpful for tree care. Read more
Riverton, NJ, Friday April 28th – The NJ Tree Foundation joined the New Jersey Forest Service and Borough of Riverton for the official state Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 28th. The day before, the NJ Tree Foundation’s Green Streets Program planted 30 trees of varying species to mark Riverton’s 30th anniversary as a Tree City USA. Read more
We are partnering with the City of Clifton to plant fifty trees in three parks through TD Bank’s Green Streets grant program. The Arbor Day Foundation announced that Clifton received a $20,000 grant to plant the trees this spring. Clifton was one of ten cities nationwide to receive the funding.
The trees will be planted during Earth Week, with TD Bank volunteers and local students planting eleven trees on April 24th.
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 Friday, April 6, 2018, at the Hank Gallo Community Center in Lincoln Park, Jersey City. Please RSVP by Friday, March 30, 2018 to Lisa: LSimms@NJTreeFoundation.org
Topics include:
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: Friday, April 6,2018
Time: Registration begins at 8:00 am. Program starts promptly at 8:30 am and runs until 12:30 pm.
Place: Hank Gallo Community Center, Lincoln Park, Jersey City, NJ
A continental breakfast will be served.
Right Tree Right Place is approved by the State of New Jersey for 3 continuing education units. Right Tree Right Place is approved by the ISA for 3 Arborist certification renewal credits. Right Tree Right Place is approved by the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs for 3 CEUs for Public Works employees
Please RSVP by March 30, 2018 to LSimms@njtreefoundation.org If you would like send a representative(s), please include their names and contact information (email address).
What a year at the NJ Tree Foundation! Here are highlights from our 2017 accomplishments, including the planting of 3,664 trees thanks to the help of over 1,300 volunteers. Thank you for being a part of our success! We are looking forward to partnering with you in 2018. If you love these photos and want to contribute to our success in 2018, please donate. Happy New Year, tree family! Read more
I first met teachers Ms. Monika Hannemann and Ms. Monikk Gray in 2013 when Ms. Hannemann applied for trees at Weequahic High School in Newark. Ms. Hannemann and Ms. Gray were instrumental in turning a once barren Chancellor Avenue into a shady tree-lined street. The Weequahic High School planting event had a significant impact on their students, the neighborhood, and the women themselves.
When Ms. Hannemann began teaching at University High School, she saw a need for trees there too. In the spring of 2017, we planted 15 trees with students to line the front facade of their school and the back courtyard. As Principal Mendez mentioned, the hedge maples, ginkgos, and tree lilacs “will grow alongside the students who planted them.”
It is incredibly inspiring to work alongside passionate teachers and young adults who are thrilled to help green their neighborhoods. At the most recent planting at University High School, Ms. Hannemann described the importance of planting trees with youth. “I love interacting with students outside of a traditional classroom setting, working towards a common goal. Some students who do not excel as much in the classroom stood out as leaders at this tree planting,“ she explained with a look of pride.
This beautiful history of greening Newark’s schools and connecting urban youth to trees is only possible with your donations. Please help us continue to inspire youth and adults alike while making our cities greener by donating to the NJ Tree Foundation this December.
Calling all Camden Fruit Tree Farmers!On Wednesday, November 8th, the NJ Tree Foundation and the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) will host a free workshop on organic pest management for urban fruit tree orchards. This is a great way to meet fellow urban fruit tree farmers and learn how to organically treat for pests and diseases.
Robyn Mello from POP will give a lecture on common diseases and pests that can be found in this area on fruit trees. Robyn has been the Orchard Director for POP since 2014. She has extensive knowledge of urban agriculture and environmental justice issues. We are excited to have her present and share her knowledge!
This workshop is FREE for Camden residents-recent fruit tree recipients are strongly encouraged to attend! Refreshments will be provided and attendees are encouraged to bring a dish from home, potluck style. This workshop is made possible by the Campbell’s Soup Foundation.
When: Wednesday, November 8th, from 6-8pm
Where: Riletta L. Cream library-852 Ferry Ave, Camden
To RSVP, please call Meredith at 856-287-4488 or email mbrown@njtreefoundation.org.
Still need CEUs for your NJ Community Forestry Management Plan? 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 Friday, November 3rd, at the Edgewater Park Municipal Building. Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 1, 2017 to Lisa: LSimms@NJTreeFoundation.org
Topics include:
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: Friday, November 3, 2017
Time: Registration begins at 8:00 am. Program starts promptly at 8:30 am and runs until 12:30 pm.
Place: Edgewater Park Municipal Building, 400 Delanco Road, Edgewater Park, NJ
A continental breakfast will be served.
This seminar is worth three (3) Continuing Education Units for towns with a 5-year Community Forestry Management Plan. “Right-Tree, Right-Place” is approved by the ISA for 3 (three) Arborist certification renewal credits and for 3 Public Works CEUs.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 1st to LSimms@njtreefoundation.org If you would like send a representative(s), please include their names and contact information (email address).
NJ Tree Foundation Selected to Partner with TD Tree Days to Enhance Urban Forest and the Community by Planting Trees in Four New Jersey Cities
October 1, 2017 – Jackson, NJ– TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, has selected the NJ Tree Foundation to participate in TD Tree Days, a community-based program that expands urban forests and green spaces in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. Staff and volunteers of the NJ Tree Foundation will join local employees of TD Bankto plant a total of 225 trees throughout four New Jersey cities. On October 11th, 35 trees will be planted at Freedom Village in Westhampton. On October 13th, 35 trees will be planted at Weequahic Park in Newark. On October 25th and 27th, respectively, 80 and 75 trees will be planted at Washington Park in Jersey City and Judge Robert Johnson Park in Camden.
“We‘re proud to partner with the NJ Tree Foundation during TD Tree Days to nurture the community and the environment from the ground up,” said Joseph Doolan, TD Bank’s Head of Environmental Affairs. “Trees do much more than beautify our communities – they produce oxygen; improve air quality and slow climate change by reducing carbon emissions, airborne pollutants and smog; provide cooling shade to reduce energy costs; and enhance the quality of life.”
Now in its seventh year, TD Tree Days will bring together more than 1,000 community members and TD employees from September through early November to plant approximately 850 trees in 21 communities across the United States. TD Tree Days will be managed with support from The Arbor Day Foundation. Founded in 2010, the program has made a significant positive impact for communities and the environment as TD’s flagship volunteer and urban greening program, planting more than 285,000 trees and shrubs, primarily in Canada and the U.S.
The NJ Tree Foundation is one of 18 organizations in the United States that was chosen to participate in TD Tree Days through an application process. “We are very excited to implement these high-impact TD Tree Days projects. The new trees planted will provide shade, beauty, and wildlife habitat, as well as improve the environment overall in New Jersey,“ explained Lisa Simms, Executive Director for the NJ Tree Foundation. She continued, “Trees are especially needed in our urban areas, where they remove pollutants from the air and reduce problematic stormwater runoff.”
In addition to Camden, Jersey City, Newark, and Westhampton, NJ, TD Tree Days events are scheduled in these communities this fall: Delray Beach, Miami and Tampa, Florida; Mattapan, Massachusetts; Auburn, Maine; Detroit, Michigan; Asheville and Wilmington, North Carolina; the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York; Chester and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Warwick, Rhode Island; Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina; and Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow TD Tree Days on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US #TDTreeDays and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank.
About NJ Tree Foundation
The NJ Tree Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees in New Jersey’s most underserved neighborhoods, where the need is greatest. Through tree planting, volunteerism, and partnerships, the NJ Tree Foundation assists numerous communities in improving their environment and quality of life. Since its inception in 1998, the NJ Tree Foundation has planted 204,360 trees across the state. Learn more at www.njtreefoundation.org.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.
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September 9th, 2017 – Camden, NJ – On Saturday September 9th, 22 Camden residents attended a fruit tree workshop and giveaway hosted by the NJ Tree Foundation. At this event, made possible with a grant from the Campbell Soup Foundation, residents learned how to plant the trees and grow their own fruit organically before leaving with one or more free fruit trees and a care package.
“Our fruit tree giveaway was a great success,” explained NJ Tree Foundation Program Coordinator Meredith Brown. “We provided 68 fruit trees to residents with backyard gardens and residents running community gardens. The fruit trees are creating new food access points for residents and bringing affordable, fresh, organic fruit right to their neighborhoods. Fruit trees are trickier to care for when compared to common garden plants like tomatoes, so the educational workshop component of this event was key,” Brown continued.
The workshop and giveaway were hosted at the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, who kindly provided a meeting room free of charge. After the workshop, the residents received a tour of the Center for Environmental Transformation’s fruit tree orchard on Ferry Avenue in Camden.
Residents were thrilled with their new fruit trees. Many have already been planted throughout the community, including the peach tree at the Center For Family Services PowerCorps headquarters on Morgan Blvd, as shown in the picture provided by PowerCorps. PowerCorps youth, who are Camden residents, picked locations for the fruit trees and planted them together.
Throughout the week, the NJ Tree Foundation will provide an additional 57 fruit trees to community and backyard gardeners in Camden, for a total of 125 new fruit trees throughout the city.
“We look forward to giving out the rest of the trees,” Brown said. “It is very exciting for the residents to be able to grow their own fruit. We know the trees will be well-cared for, and the residents should enjoy a great harvest next year!”
If you would like to support the NJ Tree Foundation’s fruit tree projects, please make a donation at njtreefoundation.org/donate.