Town to celebrate Arbor Day and be proclaimed a ‘Tree City.’
By: Josh Appelbaum
Once again, Cranbury was chosen as a Tree City USA, an honor that has been bestowed on the township for the past 17 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
The designation is given to towns and cities that have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.
The Arbor Day celebration will kick off April 29 at 2 p.m. in Memorial Park, where Mayor Becky Beauregard will read a proclamation and declare the town a Tree City. A dogwood tree will be planted in honor of all servicemen and women, past and present. Any living veteran whose name is on the Memorial Park monument will be contacted and invited to the ceremony, Mr. Witt said.
Public Works Director Tom Witt and Shade Tree Commission Chairwoman Judy Dossin will preside over this year’s festivities.
Ms. Dossin said that this year the Shade Tree Commission will work with Cranbury School students and Scout troops to plant trees throughout the town.
In addition to presiding over Arbor Day, Mr. Witt, Ms. Dossin and the rest of the Shade Tree Commission are custodians of public trees.
"Tom Witt and I have certifications as urban foresters," Ms. Dossin said. "We look at our streetscapes, consider where trees should be planted in public parks and plant trees throughout the township."
She said the Cranbury Shade Tree Commission was started about 15 years ago as a volunteer organization, and deemed an official township board about eight years ago.
In addition to planting trees, Ms. Dossin said the commission has the difficult and sometimes unpleasant task of dealing with sick or dying trees that pose a safety hazard.
"We have to consider the tree’s condition, or where it is and identify it as a hazardous tree," Ms. Dossin said. "In those cases we have to determine whether we take it down or prune it."