Bergen Co. To 'Treasure Our Trees' With 120K In State Grants

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — In honor of International Day of Forests, the state of New Jersey has announced the awarding of about $120,000 to help Bergen County municipalities "treasure our trees."

Funding awards from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will go to Bogota, Englewood and Ramsey to increase tree canopies, and thereby improve healthy living and climate-resilience, the DEP said Tuesday.

“An urban tree canopy is part of a community’s infrastructure and creates valuable environmental, economic and social benefits," New Jersey State Forester Todd Wyckoff said.

Bogota and Englewood are set to receive reforestation and tree-planting grants of $40,000 and $66,830, respectively, while Ramsey is set to receive a resiliency planning grant of $20,000, the DEP said.

Awarded through a competitive process, the grants are to assist in the development of local, self-sustaining urban and community forestry programs, and "to advance the stewardship of trees and forests," DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said.

“Stewardship of trees has never been more important than now, especially as New Jersey continues to experience the adverse impacts of a changing climate,” LaTourette said. “These grants will help provide ecosystem services (and) reduce heat island effects. Proper planning and management of trees and forests also mitigates storm water and other flooding, as well as air pollution.”

Grant recipients may use awards for conducting community tree inventories, performing tree risk assessments, planting or establishing trees, reforesting, or other stewardship projects. Local governments may also use the grants to manage impacts from invasive species such as the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that has killed millions of trees in the U.S.

“Trees and forests are important to New Jerseyans on so many levels," said John Cecil, Assistant Commissioner for State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites. "Trees store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases and energy use, which lessens the impacts of climate change."

Funding for the grants come from the "Treasure Our Trees" state license plate sales, and the New Jersey Forest Service’s No Net Loss Compensatory Reforestation Program.