Shade Tree Commission presents partial city tree inventory, seeks five‑year forestry plan and grant reimbursement
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Summary
The Environmental Shade Tree Commission reported a partial inventory of roughly 1,503 trees funded by a $20,000 NJDEP grant and urged adoption of a five‑year Community Forestry Management Plan to qualify for accreditation and future tree grants.
A representative of the Environmental Shade Tree Commission told the council the city completed a partial tree inventory in late December under a $20,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The inventory covered approximately half of the city and recorded about 1,503 trees.
"The city received a grant of $20,000 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a partial tree inventory, and to complete a community forestry management plan," the representative said.
The presenter said the inventory identified 63 distinct species but noted a lack of species diversity: roughly half the inventoried trees were dominated by three species (London plane, Callery pear and canopy/scholar trees). She said 59% of inventoried trees were in "fair" condition, 36% were in good condition, 4% were poor and about 1% dead; the commission identified roughly 60 trees for removal and estimated another 17 large trees might be removed over the year for routine reasons.
The commission urged the council and departments to adopt a Community Forestry Management Plan — a five‑year state‑approved document required to maintain the New Jersey Urban Community Forestry accreditation and to enable reimbursement of consultant costs. The presenter said the plan will help the city prioritize budget items for tree maintenance and replacement and discourage planting of invasive species such as Callery pear.
Commissioners and council members discussed public outreach: the commission will meet on the 29th in City Council Chambers and hopes to present a draft plan to council for review before June and then submit to the state for approval and reimbursement. The commission also noted data limitations in the ArcGIS inventory (species not always recorded with full scientific names) and said it may migrate data to a more user‑friendly platform for ongoing maintenance.
What’s next: The commission will continue inventory work, finalize the draft Community Forestry Management Plan, and convene a public meeting to collect resident input. Council members thanked volunteers and staff for the work.
