Free Trees to Celebrate Arbor Day

Township of Liberty, NJ – The Liberty Twp. Environmental Commission and Girl Scout Troop 97260 will be giving away 400 trees seedlings to celebrate Arbor Day! Thanks to the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign, the tree seedlings are native and available at no cost. This program helps communities replace trees damaged or destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.

From 9:00 am to 11:00 am on May 5, 2018, residents will be able to pick up tree seedlings at Mountain Lake Pavilion located at 137 Lakeside Drive West, Belvidere, NJ. Tree planting guidelines and care instructions will be provided to ensure that each tree taken home will be planted in the right spot and will grow to full potential! All trees received that day should be planted or heeled in within two days.

The goal of the Tree Recovery Campaign is to distribute over 500,000 tree seedlings to New Jersey residents over the course of five years. It is a joint effort between Liberty Township, Girl Scout Troop 97260, New Jersey Forest Service, New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts, Sustainable Jersey, Arbor Day Foundation, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Canon, and FedEx.

“Trees are so essential to our communities. This troop of young ladies love nature and want to help be a part of something that improves our air quality, our community togetherness, and our overall quality of life! It is inspiring to see such thoughtfulness instilled at a young age,” said Shannon Schaaf, Environmental Commission Secretary. “One of my favorite quotes is an old proverb stating, he best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Trees are assets to every community. They improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood or business district, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, filter our water and provide wildlife habitat, along with many more benefits.

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

If you have any questions please contact Shannon Schaaf at 908.637.4579 ext.20 or visit www.libertytownship.org for more information.

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