Mike Morsch, Regional Editor
By Mike Morsch, As a Tree City USA recipient, Hightstown celebrates Arbor Day each year by planting a tree and providing a little more shade for the community., The event highlights the importance of trees in the borough. Not only do they provide more shade for outdoor activities, but among the many things trees do are: provide a habitat for a multitude of animal species; sequester carbon from CO2 emissions; make oxygen; and create sugars and plant food for their own use., At this year’s celebration, Hightstown Mayor Larry Quattrone spoke about the benefits of trees and Shade Tree Official David Zaiser spoke about how to properly plant a tree., This year, members of the Grace N. Rogers Elementary School second grade class, their families and their teacher attended the ceremony. Mayor Quattrone had earlier spoken to the students about the importance of planting trees in the borough., For past ceremonies, a tree has been donated for planting. But this year, the borough purchased the tree to plant, which was a Sycamore tree that was planted in Association Park., The borough’s Environmental Commission budget provides for the planting of some trees each year, but relies heavily on donations to provide enough funds to plant trees over the course of each year, according to Zaiser.
