April 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Township of Franklin, Somerset County, New Jersey
CONTACT: Michael Orsini, Franklin Township Shade Tree Commission Chair
732-690-7270
e-mail address: orsinimj@patmedia.net or franklintrees@patmedia.net

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP NAMED TREE CITY USA

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, New Jersey—April 18, 2008—The National Arbor Day
Foundation has named Franklin Township a Tree City USA for 2007 in recognition of
Franklin’s program to care for community trees. It is the seventh 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 planted 30 trees in Franklin’s Nassau Park. “In past years, we’ve planted trees in
Dunham Lebed, Middlebush and Delar Parks and street trees along DeMott Lane and New Brunswick Road. Every year we plant more trees in Franklin’s parks and open space,” said Michael Orsini, chair of the Township’s Shade Tree Commission. He added:
“We strongly emphasize public education and as well, such as the dangers of over-mulching trees and how to control insects and diseases. Our annual tree sale has also raised public awareness of our mission and is proving increasingly popular.”

“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.