NJ Tree Foundation Senior Program Director Jessica Franzini spoke with Jill Horner of Comcast Newsmakers on March 16, 2016. They talked about our exciting spring projects in Camden including a fruit tree giveaway and beautifying the Circuit Trail Network, as well as our role maintaining Camden’s urban forest. Please enjoy the video!
Author: Beth Kwart
Upcoming Events in Camden
Check out these exciting upcoming events, being offered by our partners in Camden!
Newton Creek Clean Up in Camden
with the Tri-County Sustainability Alliance and South Jersey Land and Water Trust
Saturday, April 9th
10am-1pm
FREE Soil Testing: Camden’s Soil Shop
at the Parkside Learning Garden
Saturday, April 16th
10am-3pm
* Free soil testing done on site *
![Smart forum[3]](https://i0.wp.com/njtreefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Smart-forum3.jpg)
Camden SMART Forum
at Adventure Aquarium
$25 to register, Camden residents free
Wednesday, April 20th
8:30am-2pm
Camden Tree Planting Events
Our spring tree planting season will soon begin in Camden. Join us as we dig holes and plant trees in several Camden neighborhoods. For a full list of upcoming NJ Tree Foundation planting events, please click here.
Who Makes It Happen? Spotlight on Lisa Simms
This year, the NJ Tree Foundation (NJTF) is taking some time to recognize the amazing people behind the work that we do. For our first spotlight, it is only fitting to feature our Executive Director and co-founder, Lisa Simms!
While it would be easy for us to list her credentials and the many prestigious awards she has received, we want to first share with you a story about Lisa that you cannot easily find with a Google search. One that helps demonstrate her dedication to our cities – and her ability to approach all situations with a smile, a good sense of humor, and a quality of work that can be respected by even the toughest critics.
As told by Lisa…
“Fall 2001: Our first community-based tree planting in Camden. I arrive that morning to meet the tree nursery delivery truck. Two men are sitting in an unmarked car on the street. I walk up to the car (yes, I know what you’re thinking: CLUELESS! And, you’re right!) The conversation goes like this:
Me: Hi! Are you here to volunteer for the tree planting?
Men: No. We’re police officers. This street is a known drug zone.
Me: Oh. Well, my name is Lisa and I’m from the NJ Tree Foundation. We’re planting 25 trees on Clinton Street with Habitat for Humanity today!
Officers: (Give each other a look and laugh). You’re planting trees in Camden? Trees? Yeah, they’ll be here tomorrow. (More laughter).
Me: Yep. It’s going to be a GREAT day! The residents are going to plant trees in front of their homes. If you want to stick around and help…?
Officers: You’re crazy, you know that? This is Camden. No one wants trees here. They’ll be gone by the morning. No one is going to help you. You’re gonna have a long day! Do you know what this city is like?
Me: You’ll be surprised. Really. If you’re here at noon, we’re serving lunch for the volunteers. Please stop by! (Tree truck arrives). Ok, I gotta go. Hope to see you at lunch!
Officers: (More laughter)
The tree planting goes very well. Every resident on the block helps to plant the 25 trees, and we are done by 11:30am. The street is transformed and already has shade! As we wrap up and have lunch, the undercover police officers walk up. One officer has something in his hand.
Me: Hi! I’m so glad you made it for lunch!
Officer: Lisa, this is amazing. This is the first time we have ever seen residents come out of their homes, let alone work together on something. We have never seen anything like this in Camden. The trees are beautiful! We bought you lottery tickets. I hope you win you so can continue to do this in Camden.”
Since then, Lisa developed a robust program that has planted over 5,000 trees in Camden since 2002. All plantings are community-based and follow the above model, where residents help plant and care for trees. She replicated that program in Newark, where nearly 2,500 trees have been planted since 2006. In addition, she created a fee-for-service branch of the organization (pun totally intended!) to offer affordable tree planting and landscaping services to NJ towns while providing jobs to ex-offenders transitioning back to society from prison. That program, Green Streets, has employed over 50 men since it’s inception in 2006.
Lisa has a degree in environmental science from Rutgers New Brunswick and 20+ years experience in the urban forestry field. She is the recipient of the Joyce Kilmer Award, the Gold Leaf Award, and the Green Community Achievement Award. The NJTF has planted over 200,000 trees across the state under her leadership. Thank you, Lisa, for all you have done and continue to do!
Lisa is pictured left (center) with the Green Streets Crew.
NJ Tree Foundation Thanks 2015 Partners
The NJ Tree Foundation is starting strong in 2016 thanks to our 2015 partners and supporters. We are so appreciative of everyone who donated to our Annual Appeal. In the end we were just short of our $10,000 goal. Thank you to everyone who helped us start strong in 2016 by donating!
We would like to thank Ground Swell, Inc., who recently completed an email migration to put the NJ Tree Foundation staff email on Google Apps. This important switch brings us into the cloud, keeping our records safe from computer crashes and improving our connectivity.
Ground Swell
is a managed service provider headquartered in Egg Harbor City, NJ. They are a small business providing locally outsourced IT for other small and medium-sized businesses across New Jersey. If your business is losing time and money to IT issues we recommend contacting Ground Swell to see how they can help you improve your infrastructure and move your business forward. The in-kind services Ground Swell provided the NJ Tree Foundation saved us enough money to purchase 25 trees at least ten feet tall!
“The NJ Tree Foundation had a great experience working with Ground Swell. They focused on what would improve our organization’s IT, which ultimately was a cloud-based system since we work from multiple places,” explains Lisa Simms, Executive Director of the NJ Tree Foundation. “Not only did they do a great job with our email migration, they were also friendly and easy to work with.”
Additionally, the NJ Tree Foundation was awarded several grants in December 2015, helping us start 2016 strong. These include:
– The Watershed Institute, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association grant of $9,500. This funding will be used to provide TreeKeepers workshops in Camden and Newark, as well as create and print new tree care booklets for all tree recipients, increasing public knowledge of trees as green infrastructure and the public’s ability to care for street trees.
– Campbell Soup Foundation grant of $25,000. This funding will be used in the City of Camden to plant 50 new fruit trees through a volunteer planting event and fruit tree giveaway. Fruit trees will increase public access to fresh, affordable produce and improve quality of life.
– Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation grant of $20,000. This general support funding for the NJ Tree Foundation will help the organization with all projects in 2016.
– The Victoria Foundation grant of $15,000. This funding will allow the NJ Tree Foundation’s Renaissance Trees Program to remove concrete and plant trees in the Ironbound Neighborhood in the City of Newark, increasing the tree canopy and improving watershed health.
The NJ Tree Foundation would also like to thank its major in-kind supporters in 2015, including: City of Camden, City of Jersey City, City of Newark, MAFCO Worldwide Corporation, Spruce Goose Farm, Smith’s Ace Hardware, and United Water Camden.
Here’s to another great year, improving New Jersey’s tree canopy one tree at a time!
Turning Mean Streets Into Green Streets
Our Green Streets program hires ex-offenders to plant trees across New Jersey. The Crew learn skills that will help them obtain and maintain employment, reducing their chances of going back to prison.
Ishmell’s story: “Working with the Tree Foundation was a very good learning experience. I learned things that will stay with me throughout my life. Trees are a very important part of the environment. I loved meeting new people and learning that so many are willing to plant and save trees. This experience is something I will never forget. My eyes will forever be open.”
Ishmell wasn’t the only Crew member who had a great season. Danny, who worked for Green Streets for two seasons, said, “I was really motivated seeing the hundreds of trees we planted last year looking good and healthy. I felt love from people who were happy to see us in their communities planting more trees.”
Men in this program are shown love and respect and taught skills that can lead to a promising career that will help them achieve a higher standard of living. Green Streets provides this for men who need it most, giving them hope for a better life.
We are hours away from December 31st and meeting our goal of raising $10,000. Please make a contribution today so we can continue to inspire hope through trees in 2016. Thank you to everyone who has already donated! Happiest New Year wishes to all.
Fruit Trees Grow in Camden
The NJ Tree Foundation works with urban youth each year to inspire the next generation of environmentalists by planting trees! We started planting fruit trees in the City of Camden in 2012. Fruit trees bring fresh, local food to families across Camden and now produce over 100 pounds of fruit annually! The youth of Camden love them.
At the Ferry Avenue orchard, teenage farmers eat pears and plums directly from the trees
as they ripen. “[Our teens] were able to taste different kinds of fruit. Pears were a first time for many of our students,” explains Dean of the Center for Environmental Transformation, who owns and maintains the Ferry Avenue Orchard.
At the Cooper Sprouts Garden, grandparents and grandchildren are coming together to harvest peaches and pears. “I never knew I had such a green thumb!” explains Marian Roberts, 14-years old.
The Lakeshore Drive Community Garden’s plums are yielding the highest fruit counts for our program. “If it weren’t for the NJ Tree Foundation, I wouldn’t know how to take care of these trees and grow my own fruit,” explains Joseph Travis, lead gardener.
A contribution to the NJ Tree Foundation can help provide more peaches, plums, pears, and other fruit trees to community gardeners. Thank you to those who have already donated! You can help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 this December by donating today. It will make all the difference.
Do trees need umbrellas?
Last May, our Renaissance Trees Program planted fifteen new shade trees at the Quitman Street Community School, New Salem Baptist Church, and along their connecting streets.
When the truck pulled up with the large trees, Reverend White of the New Salem Baptist Church was intimidated. The trees stood taller than him! He was so pleased with the outcome as students, teachers, residents, and the church’s youth group dug holes to transform the area with a variety of beautiful trees.
That day, the students learned the importance of being urban forestry stewards. This meant protecting their trees from harm and feeding their trees 20 gallons of water each week. The students enthusiastically agreed to this new responsibility! Over the weekend it rained heavily. A teacher received a text message from a concerned fifth grader, “Do we need to go put umbrellas over the trees so they don’t drown?” The student was assured that rain was good for the trees, and the trees would be happy when the students returned to school on Monday.
The NJ Tree Foundation is seeking to raise $10,000 by December 31st so we can continue important urban forestry work, including cultivating the next generation of tree stewards! Will you please donate today to help us reach our goal?
Volunteers Plant 500 New Trees in NJ Cities
The NJ Tree Foundation’s community-based volunteer projects were a success this fall! Across the state, over 600 volunteers helped plant 560 trees in NJ’s most urban communities, where the need is the greatest. “Where else can you participate in the transformation of an entire city block in three hours?” explains long-time volunteer Anita. “Volunteering with the NJ Tree Foundation has been one of my life’s greatest experiences.”
We are proud to share with you the many communities that benefited from our volunteer-based projects this fall!
Renaissance Trees Program Projects
Columbia Park, Jersey City: 20 trees
Parker Street and Barringer Academy, Newark: 14 trees
S. 30th Street, Newark: 60 trees
Varick Street, Jersey City: 15 trees
Great Commission Ministry Church, Newark: 13 trees
West Side Park, Newark: 20 trees
Clifton Avenue, Newark: 20 trees
S. Charles and Ferry Streets, Newark: 14 trees
Urban Airshed Reforestation Program Projects
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden: 15 trees
Northgate II Apartments, Camden: 20 trees
Reverend Evers Park, Camden: 27 trees
Von Neida Park, Camden: 150 trees
N. 8th Street, Camden: 18 trees
Klemm Ave Jogging Path, Gloucester City: 58 trees
Martin Lake Park, Gloucester City: 10 trees
N. 36th Street, Camden: 27 trees
Parkside United Methodist Church, Camden: 10 trees
Farnham Park, Camden: 10 trees
Green Streets Projects
Veterans Memorial Park, Passiac City: 40 trees
Thank you to the partners, residents, donors, and volunteers who made our fall tree planting season a success! We greatly appreciate working with you to transform urban communities with trees.
Post your #UNselfie before #GivingTuesday
November 18, 2015 – New Jersey –Thanksgiving is one week away. The giving season is right around the corner! This is an important time for nonprofits to raise money to support meaningful work throughout the year. We know there are a lot of great causes out there and we know we can count on you to support the New Jersey Tree Foundation!
Do you love our fruit tree plantings, or reforestation of city streets and parks? Have you seen the amazing work our Green Streets Crew has accomplished all over New Jersey? If so, please tell others why you will support the New Jersey Tree Foundation on the international day of giving back, #GivingTuesday, December 1st, 2015.
Take a picture with this photo or post it to your social media. Use the hashtag #UNselfie and tell all your followers why you are donating to the New Jersey Tree Foundation this giving season!
Pictured above: Reforesting Camden City. Photo by A Darling Light Photography.
NJ Tree Foundation on Comcast Newsmakers
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!