Township of Franklin, Somerset County, New Jersey
CONTACT: Michael Orsini, Franklin Township Shade Tree Commission Chair
732-690-7270
FAX: 908-704-4996
e-mail address: orsinimj@patmedia.net or franklintrees@patmedia.net

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP NAMED TREE CITY USA

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, New Jersey—April 18, 2005—The National Arbor Day Foundation has named Franklin Township a Tree City USA in recognition of Franklin’s program to care for community trees. It is the fourth year Franklin Township has received this national recognition.

The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service sponsors the Tree City USA program.

Franklin Mayor Brian Levine said, “Franklin Township is proud to have again been designated Tree City USA, and we thank the members of Franklin’s Shade Tree Commission and volunteers for their work in our forestry program. We also want to thank The National Arbor Day Foundation for this recognition.”

To become a Tree City USA, a community must meet four standards: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance. For this year’s Arbor Day, the Shade Tree Commission will be landscaping detention basins to demonstrate the benefits trees provide for stormwater recharge and filtration. “We try to do something different each year, said Michael Orsini, chair of the Shade Tree Commission. In past years, we’ve landscaped parks, planted street trees and started our own tree nursery. We hope to illustrate how trees can be both attractive and functional in a variety of situations, and to raise awareness of our work in Franklin.”

“Trees in our cities and towns help clean the air, conserve soil and water, moderate temperature, and bring nature into our daily lives,” said John Rosenow, president of The National Arbor Day Foundation. “Trees are a vital component of the infrastructure in our towns and cities, and provide many environmental and economical benefits. A community, and its citizens, that recognizes these benefits and provides needed care for its trees deserves recognition and thanks,” Rosenow added.