Tree City USA Recognition for a 10th Year
Roselle Park Environmental Commission
Roselle Park achieved an important milestone by receiving Tree City USA recognition for a 10th year from the Arbor Day Foundation. The borough attained Tree City USA status by consistently meeting the program’s four standards of maintaining a tree board or department, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, having a tree ordinance, and celebrating Arbor Day. This momentous achievement highlights the value that trees have in the borough, the importance of community in maintaining a healthy urban forestry, but also the ongoing efforts needed to keep moving forward in the years ahead.
As Roselle Park and surrounding areas continue to grow, experiencing more extreme weather conditions as a result, trees will play an important part in helping our community cope with these changes. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, every dollar spent on planting and caring for a community tree, yields benefits that are two to five times that investment. For example:
- Neighborhoods with trees are seven to nine degrees cooler than those without.
- Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10% to a property’s value.
· Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by more than 50%.
- Properly placed trees can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% and can save 20-50% in energy used for heating.
· Trees help absorb the sounds of traffic in urban areas by 40%.
· Studies of residential neighborhoods found that property crimes were less frequent when there
were trees in the right-of-way, and more abundant vegetation around a house.
The trees we plant today will keep Roselle Park green, beautiful, and healthy for generations. If you are interested in learning more about sustainable efforts in Roselle Park, including tree preservation, please reach out to environmentalcommissionrp@gmail.com or on Facebook at RPEnvironmentalCommission.
