Glen Rock Gets $4K To Plant Trees

GLEN ROCK, NJ – Glen Rock is one of 15 communities across the state to receive a reforestation grant, according to Sustainable Jersey.

Altogether more than $50,000 was awarded through the Roots for Rivers Reforestation Grant and Technical Assistance Program to projects that aim to plant trees in places where floodplains have been degraded.

Glen Rock’s $4,315.50 grant will be used to add 450 trees to the area of Diamond Brook in Upper Faber Field.

To date, Roots for Rivers, which is a partnership between Sustainable Jersey, The Nature Conservancy and The Watershed Institute, has funded proposals that include more than 92,000 trees to support floodplains in New Jersey.

“This funding is exactly what we need to manage flood waters and save endangered fish and wildlife,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. He added, “Besides flood and drought protection, floodplains can prevent erosion, improve soil formation, purify water replenishing groundwater reservoirs and support the conservation of habitats and species. Sustainable Jersey values our partnership with The Nature Conservancy and applauds the municipalities for doing the hard work at the local level.”

Michelle DiBlasio, the Watershed Restoration Coordinator for the New Jersey Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, said, “Throughout much of the state, our floodplains have been deforested and left without trees to help filter water, absorb flooding or cool the river for fish. One important way to help ensure we can continue to rely upon our precious natural water resources is to restore New Jersey’s floodplains—the critical land near our rivers’ banks."

"For the past five years, The Nature Conservancy has worked with local, state and federal partners in northwestern New Jersey to reforest the floodplains of a key tributary to the Delaware River, the Paulins Kill. Through the Roots for Rivers reforestation program, we have been able to catalyze these restoration efforts state-wide and help communities protect their local waterways for future generations," she said.

To help The Nature Conservancy reach its goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2020, a second application period is open for the 2020 Roots for Rivers Reforestation and Technical Assistance Program. Interested municipalities should review and submit the grant application.

Applications will be accepted until March 2, according to Sustainable Jersey.