Our Renaissance Trees Program Director Elena López was interviewed by Jill Horner of Comcast Newsmakers on October 21st, 2015. Enjoy this interview where Elena talks about the benefits of trees and the great work accomplished by our community-based tree plantings!
Month: October 2015
NJ Tree Foundation partners for TD Tree Days Events
October, 2015 – New Jersey– NJ Tree Foundation staff and volunteers will be joined by employees 
from TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, throughout October to participate in TD Tree Days, a cooperative effort to plant new trees in local communities in need. Newark, Camden, Gloucester City, and Passaic City will all receive new trees – 304 total! At the first event, held in Newark on Friday October 2nd, the rain did not stop 35 TD Bank employee volunteers from planting 60 trees along South 20th and Ferdinand Streets. Wearing ponchos and smiles, the TD Bank volunteers worked alongside NJ Tree Foundation staff to improve Newark with trees.
The NJ Tree Foundation was founded in 1998 and has planted more than 202,900 trees throughout the state, by hand. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers have aided in planting events. The NJ Tree Foundation promotes planting the right tree, in the right place, in the right way, to ensure the long-term survival of trees. Part of “right tree, right place” is carefully selecting urban tolerant trees for cities and low-growth trees for planting under utility lines, while “right way” is making sure the root flare of the tree is above ground, mulch is spread evenly and away from the base of the street, and all non-biodegradable material is removed from the tree and root ball. All trees planted through the TD Tree Days will be planted using the “right tree, right place, right way” methodology.
TD Tree Days events will take place in October from Maine to Florida, with various community organizations joining TD Bank. Healthy forests and urban canopies play important roles in maintaining a healthy planet. By participating in TD Tree Days volunteers actively support forest stewardship, while making a tangible contribution to the well-being of their community and environment.
“We work in many cities across the state and we are happy to partner with four of them to bring new trees through the TD Tree Days events,” explains Lisa Simms, Executive Director of the NJ Tree Foundation. “Trees are an important component of a community, especially in cities where they help to improve air and water quality, reduce noise pollution, and mitigate nuisance flooding.”
The NJ Tree Foundation’s TD Tree Days events will take place at the corner of South 20th and Ferdinand Streets in Newark (10/2), Von Neida Park in Camden (10/9), Veteran’s Memorial Park in Passaic (10/13), and Martin Lake Park and the Klemm Avenue jogging path in Gloucester City (10/15). The event in Camden, which will plant 130 trees, is the largest volunteer tree planting event in the city to date.
“TD Bank is proud to partner with the New Jersey Tree Foundation to enhance the green space in New Jersey cities,” said Joe Doolan, Head of Environmental Affairs at TD Bank. “We know people care about the environment and about their communities, and it’s great to see so many people rolling up their sleeves to support local parks and green spaces.”
TD Tree Days events will take place in October 2015 in: Albany, N.Y.; Auburn, Maine; Bronx, N.Y.; Camden, N.J.; Columbia, S.C.; Detroit, Mich.; Gloucester City, N.J.; Greenville, S.C.; Homestead, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Lewiston, Maine; Long Beach, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; Manhattan, N.Y.; Passaic, N.J.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Portland, Maine; Providence, R.I.; Queens, N.Y.; Revere, Mass.; Roanoke, Texas; Springfield, Mass.; Tampa, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, Del.