Greening New Jersey, one tree at a time.
Go to a baseball game and support the NJ Tree Foundation! Friday, August 24, 2012 @ 6:30pm it’s the Newark Bears Vs. Lincoln Saltdogs! Purchase your tickets through this link and enter TREE in the Special Offer Code box. $4.00 from each ticket will help plant trees in Newark. See you there!
This summer, we are starting a Landscaping & Maintenance training program for men under parole supervision. Three men will provide community service to our 9/11 Memorial – The Grove of Remembrance (Liberty State Park, Jersey City) and our Urban Nursery, in exchange for earning a certificate and job placement assistance. Trainees will learn:
Tree, shrub, perennial and weed identification.
Proper tree & shrub pruning.
Proper mulching.
Transplanting shrubs & perennials.
General landscape & nursery maintenance.
We are very excited about this new program!
Meet Wayne McDougall, one of our hard-working and dedicated volunteers in Newark! Wayne has donated 60 hours to volunteer and assist at Newark tree plantings and our Newark TreeKeepers program – attending nearly every event our organization has hosted in the city over the past nine months! Wayne has helped to plant 220 new trees in eleven Newark neighborhoods and has become an invaluable planting expert for our program. His passion for trees has grown during this time and most recently, he became a Certified Newark TreeKeeper, one of thirteen in the city.
When asked by NJ Tree Foundation staff about his experience, Wayne told us, “Working with the NJ Tree Foundation has given me a sense of purpose – that I was really making a difference in the community and it was something I really enjoyed! I have learned so much about trees! I have always liked gardening, but now I look at trees in a whole new way. I look at trees as a source of energy and life. I am looking forward to volunteering more and bringing my family with me.”
We look forward to working with you and your family more, Wayne! Thank you for your time and energy; most importantly, thank you for being an inspiration to us and other volunteers!
In June, the NJ Tree Foundation hosted its first-ever Newark TreeKeepers workshops! TreeKeepers is an educational extension of our Newark Renaissance Trees Program (NRTP). This program is free and open to Newark residents only, who have or will be receiving a tree from our organization. Residents learn about long term maintenance practices including pruning, as well as tree biology, tree identification and hazardous tree recognition. The final workshop is an opportunity to put that knowledge gained into practice by learning how to conduct a tree inventory. Those who attend all four workshops, become Certified TreeKeepers.
We are proud to recognize 13 residents as the first class of Certified Newark TreeKeepers! Thank you to all who participated, making this program a huge success! One attendee stated, ” The most valuable part of the workshop was gaining a clear understanding of proper pruning. I will now be looking at trees differently!”
Our 2012 Class of Certified TreeKeepers
Reginald Bledsoe Mahima Giri Donna Johnson Mary McDaniel Wayne McDougall Leonard Mitchell Charon Motayne Mario Motayne Joseph Nardone Gregory Newell Miriam Santiago Sandra West Joy White For more information about becoming a Newark TreeKeeper, click here.
Audrey Snyder is not your average 17 year old girl! In 2011, she started her own non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for local charities by splitting and selling firewood. Wood for Good operates in Tewksbury, NJ and donates proceeds from the sales of their firewood to 11 charities, including the Brady Life Camp, the Tewksbury Land Trust and the Tewksbury Rescue Squad. “Charity starts at home…Wood for Good was established because we wanted to give back to a community that has given us so much,” explains Audrey in the Wood for Good mission statement.
This month, Wood for Good will be selling trees and donating proceeds to local charities through Mission: Arbor Day. The NJ Tree Foundation is proud to be a partner in this effort, providing 200 trees of four varieties to be sold to local residents.
For more information, or to support Wood for Good, please visit their website.
Thanks to Emily Perez and her family for volunteering with the Tree Foundation at the Ballantine Green Festival – giving out tree seedlings and promoting tree benefits! On Saturday, April 14th, The Ironbound Community Corporation hosted its first “Ballantine Green Festival” that was embraced by local East Ferry residents and businesses. The day was a tremendous success with more than 200 people coming out to celebrate the neighborhood, as well as learning about “green living” and how to sustain a quality of life thorough recycling and composting programs. All of these programs and demonstrations were showcased in the “Eco-Village”, where you also had the opportunity to turn in old televisions, electronics, batteries and rugs. “Although this educational festival was held in the month of April, when we celebrate Earth Day, we are committed to our vision and will throughout the year, place emphasis on the importance of “greenliving”. “ – Joseph Della Fave, Executive Director of the Ironbound Community Corporation.
Celebrate sustainable living at the Ballantine Green Festival on Saturday, April 14th from noon to 4pm. Visit the “Eco Village” to recycle old carpets, batteries, and electronics. The Green Fest will feature environmental demonstrations, artists, food, prizes, games for kids and entertainers.
This event is being hosted by the Ironbound Community Corporation with participating organizations, such as the NJ Tree Foundation, NJ Audubon Society, Greater Newark Conservancy, and Urban Renewal Corp. If you are interested in learning more or volunteering to help out at the Green Fest, please contact Deborah Hurley at 201.709.4296 or dhurley@hurleyjones.com.
Hope to see you there!
Download the flyer for more information: Ballantine Green Festival
The NJ Tree Foundation and the NJ Community Forestry Program will celebrate Arbor Day 2012 in Haddon Township, NJ. We are planting 150 large shade trees to beautify the streets of Haddon Township! Please join us!
Date: Friday, April 27, 2012
Time: 8:00 am until all the trees are planted
Place: Meet at West Crystal Lake Avenue and West Park Avenue, Haddon Township, NJ
This event is rain or shine! To register to volunteer, please contact Todd Wycoff at todd.wyckoff@dep.state.nj.us
This year’s NJ Envirothon – A Natural Resources Problem Solving Competition for High School Students – will be held at:
Camp Sacajawea in Farmingdale 242 Adelphia Road Farmingdale, Monmouth County, New Jersey on Saturday May 5, 2012. The environmental issue is “Nonpoint Source Pollution/Low Impact Development”
The New Jersey Envirothon competition is a one-day event that takes place near the end of the school year. Teams are tested on environmental topics through hands-on interactive problem-solving at five testing stations. Test questions may cover any information in the study guide and suggested resource materials or web links. The contest consists of hands-on questions along with some true/false, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks. Students have 30 minutes at each station. Team presentations last 10 minutes. The team that best demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of natural resources, as well as teamwork and communication skills, moves on to represent New Jersey in the Canon Envirothon competition which is North America’s Largest High School Environmental Education Competition. This multi-day event further tests the team’s understanding of the environment and involves teams from all regions of the United Statesand Canada.
If you are interested in volunteering time to staff the Forestry testing station, please contact Bill Brash at: forester82@aol.com
The Newark Renaissance Trees Program has the pleasure of working with 100’s of volunteers each season. This year, NJ Tree Foundation staff have created a Volunteer Recognition Award to honor those dedicated tree advocates that attend several tree plantings and go above and beyond as a volunteer.
The Newark Renaissance Trees Program would like to announce our Fall 2011 Volunteer Recognition Award recipients – Shannon Coulter, Rachel Santos and Wayne McDougall. Thank you so much for your commitment to planting trees and transforming communities in Newark! Even a snowy planting in October could not keep these folks from finishing a tree planting! You are an incredible asset to our program and organization! We hope to continue our work with you in the new year.
