WOODBINE – The Borough of Woodbine will receive seedling trees under the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign for a seventh consecutive year.
According to a release, members of Woodbine’s Sustainable Jersey “Green Team” will distribute the trees. This program helps communities replace trees damaged or destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.
Free tree seedlings will be available to Woodbine residents as part of the campaign.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 28, residents will be able to pick up tree seedlings at the gazebo on the bike path at the corner of Washington and DeHirsch, available on a first-come, first-serve basis, with an initial offering of five trees per resident.
Woodbine’s Jersey Green Team will coordinate this distribution.
The seedlings are supplied with instructions on how to store, care for, and plant them. The guides help residents choose the right place on a property to plant a tree while keeping in mind the tree’s full-grown size in the future. Residents should plant the seedlings within two days after pick-up to prevent the roots from drying out. Several varieties will be available.
When properly planted and maintained, trees can be assets to a community. They improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood or business district, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.
The campaign’s goal is to distribute over 600,000 tree seedlings to state residents over six years was met last year.
With natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, and the damage caused by several invasive insects to New Jersey, the state needs more new tree seedlings than ever.
Therefore, the campaign is moving into its seventh year. The program is a joint effort between Woodbine, New Jersey Forest Service, New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts, Sustainable Jersey, Arbor Day Foundation, FedEx, and International Paper.
The 67,150 trees planted last year will reduce carbon dioxide by 87,064 tons, reduce non-carbon dioxide air pollution by 379 tons, save $12,024,729 in energy costs, and intercept 1,444,796,059 gallons of rainfall.
Mayor Pikolycky statted, “I am proud that the borough has been involved with this program from the start and partnered with NJDEP to serve as an interim dropoff site for the area. This is an excellent way to replace trees lost to weather, aging, or disease. If anyone has pictures of trees they’ve planted, they are asked share them with the borough.”
