The 20th observance on April 21 to include 550 new trees for the township
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY The township will be holding its 20th celebration of Arbor Day April 21, which will include the planting of 550 trees.
"This year’s celebration will gather over 50 volunteers who will make it happen," Shade Tree Committee Chairwoman Ewa Zak said.
Among the volunteers for the celebration are three arborists, several present and past Shade Tree Committee members, Environmental Commission and Planning Board members and other enthusiasts.
As in the past, the Shade Tree Committee is working with Village Elementary School and the Mary Jacobs Library to encourage interest in tree planting and counter the removal of tree cover in Montgomery.
Each year, the Shade Tree Committee introduces a different species of tree in the Arbor Day program. Past years have featured bald cypress, redbud, white oak and others.
This year brings the fringe tree, a species native to New Jersey described as a "small ornamental tree of great charm." Fringe trees will be planted in yards of township residents.One Arbor Day event to raise tree-awareness will have all third-graders of the 17 third grades at Village Elementary School take home a 15-inch fringe tree. Each child will learn how to handle the tree, take it safely home and plant it.
In addition to the fringe trees, a willow oak will be planted at the Municipal Building to celebrate Arbor Day. The state forester, Mike D’Errico, Mayor Louise Wilson, members of the Township Committee, Township Administrator Donato Nieman and other guests have been invited to the ceremony.
Mary Jacobs Library will also be holding events for children, one called "Can You Tell the Tree? Can You Count the Seeds?" where children will be asked to identify the species of the tree by its seeds with the help of a tree identification book.
The Shade Tree Committee’s efforts to engage the community in celebration of Arbor Day every year have earned it the Gold Leaf Award in 1997 from the International Society of Arboriculture for Best Arbor Day Program in New Jersey.
"The award has brought us great satisfaction and stirred desire to work even harder on the expanded program," Ms. Zak said.