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.
Despite dreary conditions, the rain held off as Barry Emens, Chair of the Riverton Shade Tree Board and member of the New Jersey Community Forestry Council, led a guided tree walk around Riverton Memorial Park where the Arbor Day celebration was held. Barry spoke about tree diversity as he pointed out a variety of tree species in Riverton Memorial Park. He also highlighted a number of tree species that are appropriate for planting under utility lines and used trees along Cedar Street as examples.
The Arbor Day ceremony included a presentation of the Joyce Kilmer Award, which honors individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to New Jersey’s community forests. NJ Tree Foundation founding member and former Board of Trustees President, Roni Olizi, was this year’s award recipient. In her acceptance speech, Roni spoke about the transformational impact trees can have on urban areas and how she has seen cities like Camden improve over the NJ Tree Foundation’s years of planting trees there. Roni was also recognized for her service with the NJ Tree Foundation and as a founding member of the New Jersey Community Forestry Council.
The ceremony also included speeches from Riverton’s Mayor Suzanne Cairns Wells, NJDEP Deputy Commissioner Debbie Mans, NJ State Forester John Sacco, and NJ State legislature, county, and borough representatives. The Riverton School 5th Grade and 3rd Grade classes performed songs about trees. The event ended with a ceremonial tree planting.
