Free Tree Sapling Giveaways: Where To Get Yours In Howell

HOWELL, NJ - In partnership with the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign and the Arbor Day Foundation, Howell Township’s Shade Tree Commission will be giving away tree saplings later this month.

The free seedlings will be available to Howell Township residents on April 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or while supplies last) at Alfred C. Sauer Park at Echo Lake (1225 Maxim Southard Road).

Seedlings will be available on a first come, first served basis. Each sapling will also come with instructions on how to store, care for and plant trees.

Residents should plant the seedlings within two days in order to prevent the roots from drying out.

"When properly planted and maintained, trees can be assets to a community," Howell Township said in a statement. "They improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood or business district, increase property values, reducing home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits."

New Jersey celebrated its first Arbor Day in 1884. In the Garden State, the date is recognized as the last Friday in April, which this year is April 30. The holiday is dedicated to the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees.

The first Arbor Day in the nation occurred on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska, where more than one million trees were planted, according to History.com. By the 1920s, schools across the country began to participate in similar efforts, and each state began signing their own laws designating Arbor Day.