DEP ENCOURAGES ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION
BY OFFERING FREE TREE SEEDLINGS
(07/13) TRENTON - Department of Environmental Protection
Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson today announced free tree seedlings
are available to nonprofit groups and local organizations to celebrate
Arbor Day.
"Planting a tree and helping it grow can be an especially
rewarding experience," Commissioner Jackson said. "Not
only do trees beautify our neighborhoods, they also help improve
the quality of our air and water."
The New Jersey Forest Service has been promoting Arbor Day statewide
since 1949, when the New Jersey Legislature designated the last
Friday in April as the official day to honor trees and the people
who take care of them.
Provided by the state tree nursery in Jackson and funded through
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, the 8-inch
tube seedlings are packaged individually and available in boxes
of 98 through April 6 or while supplies last.
Organizations requesting seedlings will receive either Eastern
white pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir, Northern white cedar or
Northern red oak - New Jersey's official state tree. Boxes are selected
randomly.
To request a box of seedlings, organizations can complete an order
form available on the DEP's Community Forestry Web site at www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/community/index.html,
or by calling (609) 292-2532.
Those interested in receiving more than one box are asked to make
the seedling requests on their organization's letterhead. All orders
should be mailed to: New Jersey Forest Service, Community Forestry
Program, P.O. Box 404, Trenton, NJ 08625.
Shipping and handling is $6 for each box of free seedlings; checks
can be made payable to the State of New Jersey, Forest Service.
Orders can also be picked up at the state tree nursery, 370 E. Veterans'
Highway, Jackson.
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