The Jersey City Parks Coalition (JCPC) has been chosen to receive a 2016 Tree Giveaway Award to distribute 150 FREE trees to the residents of Jersey City. This award is made possible through a partnership with CSX Transportation and the Arbor Day Foundation through its Alliance for Community Trees program. With 35 applications received, Jersey City Parks Coalition has been chosen as one of 12 organizations to enhance our community through the power of trees.
In partnership with the City of Jersey City, New Jersey City University, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey Tree Foundation and the most essential component; an army of passionate and trained residents called the Jersey City Tree Lovers Crew (JCTLC); the Jersey City Parks Coalition plans to plant 5,000 trees over the next five years leading up to the year 2020 as part of their City of Trees Program.
Trees…with a life span of up to 80 to 100 years are desperately needed in Jersey City’s urban environment. A recent study by the Jersey City Environmental Commission has revealed that our current Jersey City tree canopy is just 17% while the national average is 40% for a mid-sized city.
Without the collective action of the city and it’s residents the canopy will fall below 17 percent as the city is losing its tree canopy little by little every year – at least 124 trees annually.
But we can change this. Planting trees for the future can provide important wildlife habitat, increase the value of our homes, mitigate the heating and cooling effects of the weather through shading and breaking the wind, improves groundwater, reduces erosion, help to clean the air, produce food for both people and animals, and even produce a significant recovery from stress in people.
Please fill out the attached pledge form to apply for your FREE tree and together with the JCPC we will make Jersey City a more beautiful city for everyone who lives, works and visits here.
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