Photo Courtesy of Barbara Bour
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Members of the South Orange Environmental Commission’s shade tree group have partnered with village government, the Department of Public Works and the NJ Tree Foundation to put together a program to purchase and plant 110 new trees for South Orange streets in all neighborhoods. The unusual autumn planting is scheduled to happen in mid-November, rather than spring when most trees are planted.
“This is the next step in our plan to establish a regular rhythm of planting in both spring and fall to make up for the losses in our overall tree population over the last several years. We then want to go beyond just replacing loss each year to maximize potential locations for our urban forest of municipal street and park trees,” environmental Commissioner David Kraiker said.
Street trees are planted by the village within the area immediately parallel to the street known as the right of way. Most often this area looks like the grassy area between the curb and sidewalk, but the right of way exists even if there is no sidewalk. Because the right of way is shared with street signs, traffic signs, streetlights and various underground utilities, not all seemingly open strips of grass are ideal for an eventual full-sized tree. The shade tree group has been developing the village’s tree inventory database to reflect as many ideal locations as possible for successive planting seasons when more budget money becomes available.
“Over the past few years, we have lost a great many trees to storms and specifically (to the insect) emerald ash borer,” environmental Commissioner Barbara Bour, a professional garden designer, said. “The shade tree subcommittee of the SOEC has been developing a plan to restore and improve our urban forest by planting a greater variety of species, planting more often, in more locations and in the right locations for success.”
In addition to providing shade and beauty throughout the town, each street tree will also provide ongoing benefits in storm water retention and filtration, ambient temperature moderation, carbon sequestration, and oxygen creation, as well as improving overall property values. Privately owned trees help too, so residents who would like to plant a tree on their own property can visit https://tinyurl.com/afd43aww, for information on choosing the right trees for various spaces, as well as information on how to plant and care for them; copies of this guide are available for free at the South Orange Public Library.
For more information on the South Orange Environmental Commission and Green Team, visit www.sogreenteam.wordpress.com.
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