HOWELL – Public officials announced details for their upcoming Seedling Giveaway event on the fourth Saturday in April, as part of the township’s Tree Recovery Campaign for 2022.
Township residents will be able to obtain tree seedlings free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis, along with instructions for storing, planting, and caring for the trees.
This October will mark the ten-year anniversary of one of the most destructive storms to ever hit New Jersey, and as incredible as it seems, parts of the Garden State have yet to recover from Superstorm Sandy. Along with devastating ocean storm surge, high winds caused massive damage to not only man-made structures, but also natural vegetation.
Soaking rains caused instability at the base of many trees, which then fell victim to the near-hurricane force winds, causing large losses of many mature trees across the state. Storms in subsequent years, along with the introduction of many new invasive insect species, have further decimated native flora over the past decade.
Now in its ninth year, the Tree Recovery program is a joint effort by Howell Township along with the New Jersey Forest Service, New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts, Urban and Community Forestry Program, Arbor Day Foundation, and the New Jersey Forest Service Nursery. In addition, the project’s corporate partners include FedEx and Texpo Energy.
The giveaway will take place on April 23, between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Howell Department of Public Works, located at 278 Old Tavern Road in Howell.
