More than 140 brand-new “large caliper” shade trees native to New Jersey have been planted throughout the Upper Freehold Regional School District through a $117,000 NJDEP Trees for Schools grant administered by Sustainable Jersey.
School and state officials said the trees will provide shade as they grow and mature, help improve air quality, enhance the environment and have positive impacts on mental health.
“These new trees, as they grow, will expand the canopy, and enhance the learning environment for our students, our faculty and staff as well as our parents and the community at large,” Superintendent Mark Guterl said.
Through the grant, 2.5-inch-caliper native shade trees were planted this spring across all district campuses. Some 120 of the trees now adorn the grounds of Stone Bridge Middle School, a campus that both shade tree and school officials agreed needed more shade and attractive landscaping. An additional 20 trees now grow at Allentown High School and Allentown Elementary School, Guterl said.
Terry Brown, chair of the Allentown Shade Tree Commission, praised one of the key elements of the project.
“Water,” Brown said, gesturing out to the new additions. “The grant provides two full years of professional maintenance and watering,” Brown said. “The funding for this endeavor includes the purchase of 500-gallon water tanks placed on a truck for mobility.”
Brown said he has seen new tree plantings fail because of lack of water.
“I am particularly happy with the design, and, just as importantly, the planned maintenance of these new beneficial plantings,” Brown said.
Guterl, along with UFRSD Building and Grounds Supervisor Tom Buffa, who also is acting as borough Department of Public Works superintendent, and UFRSD Assistant Superintendent for Business Nicole Petrone, applied for the grant earlier this year.
The superintendent praised the work of Buffa and Petrone, as well as Taylor Sapudar, a professional arborist and licensed landscape designer who lives in the historic village.
“We obviously could not have accomplished this project without Taylor’s knowledge,” Guterl said. “Of course, Tom Buffa and Nicole Petrone and I worked closely together in preparing the district’s grant application and coordinating the project on behalf of our Board of Education.”
Buffa said the grant process required strict attention to detail and professional expertise. After the grant was awarded, the district needed a licensed landscape designer to finalize the project, help secure the funding and put the money to proper use, Buffa said.
“All of this was put into action after I met with Terry Brown and Lisa Strovinsky of the Allentown Borough Shade Tree Commission,” Buffa said.
“Our original professional basically fell through, and with the help of Shade Tree, we found Taylor and he went right to work creating our specific plan through a professional arborist’s eyes,” Buffa said.
Allentown Borough Council President and Shade Tree Commission liaison John Elder said the project shows the value of cooperation between the school district and borough.
“This massive undertaking of tree planting at Stonebridge campus and elsewhere in the district highlights the powerful collaboration between the Upper Freehold Regional School District (UFRSD) and the Borough of Allentown,” Elder said.
“These new trees are a vital investment in preserving our local environment and ensuring cleaner air for our community,” Elder said.
Brown also noted that planting and maintaining trees and green spaces goes back to early American colonial roots. The Shade Tree Commission has already planted Allentown’s own “Liberty Tree” in Heritage Park.
“It’s modeled after the famous Liberty Tree in Boston where the Patriots met and sometimes quietly planned a revolution to break free from the brutal grip of the crown,” Brown said.
Brown said Patriots posted notices, organized meetings and passed messages beneath the tree, “an early form of social media.” He said the tree irritated King George so much that he ordered it to be cut down.
“The result was that all 13 of our original colonies planted Liberty Trees of their own in the spirit of rebellion,” Brown said. “Now Historic Allentown has one of its own.”
A ceremony and the placement of a patriotic plaque are scheduled for June, Brown said.
