How To Get Your Free Tree Seedlings In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Municipalities, along with Bernards Township, will be giving away 5 free bare root tree seedlings to all residents of New Jersey to celebrate Arbor Day.

The New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign assists communities in the restoration of the tree canopy damaged or destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.

To date, more than 500,000 trees have been distributed around New Jersey through this program. The New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign partners with the New Jersey Forest Service and Arbor Day Foundation.

Here is a full list of tree seedling pick-up locations and dates in Somerset County:

• Bernards Township, April 28, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Environmental Education Center Lord Stirling Park, 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge
• Bound Brook Borough, April 29, 10 a.m., Billian Legion Park, 548 East Main Street
• Somerville Borough, April 21, 4 to 5 p.m. YMCA parking lot on Green Street
• Watchung Borough, April 22, 10 a.m., Texier House Museum parking lot, 10 Mountain Blvd

For more pickup locations click here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How big are the trees?
Six inches to two foot tall bare root seedlings in a bundle of five.

What do I need to bring?
Show up at the listed location on the designated date and time. No registration or identification required. Please make sure sign up if your municipality is requesting.

What if my town isn't listed?
Pick up trees at any pick up location—you DO NOT need to be a resident of that town.

Where can I get more than five seedlings?
Visit www.forestnursery.nj.gov to view our Nursery Catalog.

What kind of tree species will I receive?
Each location may have a variety of tree species but there is no published list of species per location. Species are distributed based on what grows best in that area. Municipalities in the northern part of the state may receive persimmon or red oak trees, while towns in the south may receive virginia pine or other species adapted to this region. Seedlings that are salt tolerant are distributed to shore towns may include bayberry or beach plum, shrubs commonly found on dunes and in other coastal environments.

I have a question about a specific town's event.
Each event is run by the municipality—contact the municipal office with any questions. We are not responsible for any changes to time or place of event. We try to keep the information as up to date as possible.

Why is my town or county not listed and how can I get my town on the list?
Every municipality in New Jersey was contacted in December to apply for free trees — all trees have been allocated to those who applied. If no towns are listed for a county, then no towns in that county applied. However, you can pick up tree seedlings at any of the locations listed.

For eight years in a row, we partnered with Arbor Day Foundation to give out more than 700,000 tree seedlings total to New Jersey residents!