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 9, 2007—The National Arbor Day Foundation has named Franklin Township a Tree City USA for 2006. It is the sixth year Franklin Township has received this national recognition by the National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service.

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.  Michael Orsini, chair of the Township’s Shade Tree Commission said: “Besides planting trees, Franklin Township strongly emphasizes public education.”

John Rosenow, President of The National Arbor Day Foundation noted that “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,”