Board of Commissioners authorized signing of tree planting grant for $27K
Efforts to maintain the greenery that brightens the scenery throughout Haddonfield are about to get a necessary boost from the state.
At its most recent meeting, the board of commissioners unanimously supported the authorization to sign a New Jersey Urban and Community Forestry Stewardship Grant, intended to defray the cost of planting and maintaining of 85 trees next year.
The board sought approximately $27,121 for the borough’s spring planting schedule, which is set to begin sometime next April or May.
“We applied for the grant back in April, met the deadline, and it was signed off by Sharon McCullough, our borough administrator. After that, we received the preliminary notice that the grant was accepted back in September,” noted Robin Potter, chairperson of the borough’s Shade Tree Commission.
“The borough passed the grant agreement, which is the official statement of requirements to administer the grant itself. That acts as the contract between the borough and state that they do this properly. The state audits the process as it goes along, per the application: i.e. it makes sure the exact number of trees are going to be planted, in this case all 85, and that the borough isn’t just pocketing the money.”
The application for the grant was developed by the Shade Tree Commission, in conjunction with borough governance. According to Potter, the requested cost was specifically calculated based on past experience purchasing, planting and watering over two growing seasons the 85 new trees, plus direct cost, associated employee salaries and volunteer time through the completion of the project.
“Haddonfield plants trees annually, and this year, we wanted to do a larger planting. We usually (plant) about 65 but needed to plant more because we are taking down so many,” Potter said.
According to Commissioner John Moscatelli, the borough removes about 200 trees annually due to disease, insects and other structural issues.
“The investment to get a tree in the ground is significant. What ends up happening is, they measure the width of the tree by the trunk, and they end up being roughly 8-to-12 feet tall. Once those trees go in the ground, it’s a harsh environment. For proper growth, we also apply for the cost of watering when it stops raining in the summer and fall. We’ve timed it and it takes about eight minutes to fill the bags we put around the trees,” Potter added.
There are approximately 9,000 trees planted along the streets of Haddonfield. Therefore, planning for how the grant money will be used must already be underway to properly address any issues that arise from removal and replenishment.
“We have already selected the trees. We’ve selected where they will go. We’re trying to place the trees in places where they will actually fit, planting specific types of trees under wires that aren’t going to interfere. We have a lot of green spaces in park strips and roadside median strips to consider,” said Potter. “We need to spend the money wisely, so we buy trees in good shape, that are growing well.”
Haddonfield’s homeowners are consistently attentive to the verdant nature of their properties. Potter revealed the volume of calls from residents — who routinely ask when the borough plans to take them down or when the borough will plant a replacement — is enough to warrant the Public Works Department maintaining a list.
Of the 85 trees planned to be planted in 2019, she said, 25 or more are slotted to be planted in response to specific resident requests.
