East Brunswick to hold drive-thru seedling pickup on June 6

EAST BRUNSWICK – A “Drive-Thru” Free Tree Seedlings event will be held in East Brunswick as part of the New Jersey Forest Service’s New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign.  

Social distancing guidelines must be adhered to during the event, which will take place at 9 a.m. on June 6 at the Crystal Springs Family Waterpark, 380 Dunhams Corner Road, on a first come, first served basis.

Masks and gloves are required. No one will be permitted to leave their vehicle at any time. 

Attendees will drive through the parking lot and receive a bag with five different seedling species that will be color-coded, along with instructions on how to store, care for and plant the trees. 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 in order to prevent the roots from drying out.

The goal of the Tree Recovery Campaign – to distribute more than 600,000 tree seedlings to New Jersey residents over the course of six years – was met last year. The program is a joint effort between East Brunswick Shade Tree Division, New Jersey Forest Service, New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts, Sustainable Jersey, Arbor Day Foundation, FedEx, and International Paper.

For a list of all distribution locations across the state, visit www.forestry.nj.gov or www.facebook.com/newjerseyforests.

Regarding East Brunswick’s program, email Jill Veit at [email protected].