The New Jersey Tree Foundation has received a $12,000 grant from the Environmental Endowment for New Jersey, Inc. to plant trees in Newark! This funding will allow the Newark Renaissance Trees Program to improve the Passaic watershed by removing concrete and planting trees as a form of green infrastructure.
Newark borders the Passaic River and Newark Bay, so city pollution from things like vehicles and pesticides have direct access to the Passaic watershed. Removing concrete t0 plant trees reduces the amount of polluted stormwater runoff that enters the watershed. Stormwater is able to drain directly into the ground rather than run across concrete where it collects pollutants and the roots of trees help to filter pollutants out of stormwater runoff. With this funding from the Environmental Endowment for New Jersey, Inc., the NJ Tree Foundation will improve the Passaic watershed while beautifying Newark with street trees!
Photo credit: http://newarksriver.wordpress.com/