New Jersey Shade Tree and Community Forestry Assistance Act

Annual Accomplishment Report

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Annual accomplishment report form

Municipality / BernardsTownship
County / Somerset
Address / 1 Collyer Lane
Basking Ridge, NJ07920
Contact Name and
Title / Judy O’Connell
Phone # / 908-204-3063
Fax # and e-mail /
Organization Name / BernardsTownship Shade Tree Commission
Mayor/County
Freeholder’s
Signature
Date of Management
Plan Approval
Time Period Covered
In Management Plan / 2013-2017
Date of Annual
Accomplishment
Report Submission
Accomplishment
Report for Calendar Year / 2015

*PLEASE INCLUDE THIS FORM AS THE COVER

PAGE TO YOUR ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

REPORT

To Submit Report:

Community Forestry Program

Attn: Todd Wyckoff

Mail Code: 501-04

P.O. Box 420

Trenton, NJ08625

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New Jersey Shade Tree and Community Forestry

Assistance Act Annual Accomplishment Report

for BernardsTownship

The Bernards Township Shade Tree Commission (STC) respectfully submits this annual accomplishment report for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Community Forestry Program Administration

  1. In 2015 The Bernards Township Shade Tree Commission (STC) consists of a nine-member volunteer body (which includes two alternates) appointed by the Bernards Township Committee, a part-time secretary and one liaison each from the Township Committee and the Department of Public Works (DPW). All seven regular member positions and 2 alternate positions were filled for the calendar year 2015. The STC also utilizes the services of a New Jersey certified tree expert on an as needed basis. At this writing, the STC is fully staffed for 2016.

Training and Professional Development

  1. All nine volunteers and one DPW township employee were CORE-trained as of Dec. 31, 2015.
  2. Two volunteers also attended the 2015 NJ Shade Tree Federation Annual Meeting in October 2015.
  3. One member attended the Garden State Tree Conference of the NJ Chapter of the International Society of Arborists (NJAISA) in March 2015.
  4. Four STC members attended the NJ Invasive Species Conference at Duke Farms in April 2015.
  5. Two volunteers attended a Urban Forest Webinar in December 2015.
  6. One volunteer attended the American Chestnut FoundationConference in October 2015.

Public Education/Awareness/Outreach

  1. The STC commemorated Arbor Dayon April 24, 2015 with the reading of the Arbor Day resolution from the Township Committee and the distributing of 580 White Pine seedlings to four Township schools (Oak Street, Mt Prospect, Cedar Hill and Liberty Corner). The school events were attended by hundreds of students, 8 members of the STC and the Township Committee. The day's events were well-publicized with an article and photograph in Bernardsville Recorder.
  2. On April 25th, Shade Tree Commissioners distributednearly 500 saplings at Pleasant Valley Park in conjunction with the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign 2015. Demonstrations on proper planting and care of the saplings were provided by the STC members.

  1. The STC participated in the annual Charter Day celebration in May 2015 with a booth manned by several STC volunteers who quizzed interested residents on identifying 10 varieties of local trees. Prizes were awarded to successful contestants. Tree seedlings and saplings were handed out. Information and tattoos regarding Emerald Ash borer were also provided.
  2. The STC's Five in 5 initiative to plant 5,000 trees in the five years following 2012's Hurricane Sandy continued as 1,134 trees were reported to the STC as being planted in the Township in 2015. We are now at 88% of our goal as 4,481 of 5000 trees have been planted. We look forward to meeting our goal of 5000 trees in 2016.
  3. We continued to update the Shade Tree Commission section of the Bernards Township website with news and events helpful to Bernards Township Residents including an extensive report on Emerald Ash Borer.

Statement of Tree Budget

The 2015 Bernards Township Shade Tree Commission budget consists of (1) direct township funding; (2) an allocated portion of the Department of Public Works budget or expenses related to tree maintenance and cleanup on property subject to its jurisdiction; (3) fees assessed against real estate developers and earmarked for planting trees under the direction of the Shade Tree Commission; (4) mandatory tree planting expenses incurred by developers and property owners in satisfaction of Bernards Township zoning and bulk variance requirements, and (5) in-kind service hours by volunteers related to tree-related matters.

The Bernards Township ShadeTree Commission budget for 2015 includes the following:

Direct budget/expenditures
Shade Tree Commission township funding / $5,600
Department of Public Works / 46,000
Accrued developer’s fees / 250
Mandated developers’ tree planting expense / 114,462
subtotal / $166,312
In-kind volunteer hours at $21.36/hr
Shade Tree Commission – 640 hours / $13,670
Garden Club – 220 hours / 4,699
subtotal / $18,369
Total / $184,681

Plan Implementation

  1. The third Community Forestry Assistance Act Five Year Plan was approved by the New Jersey Department of Forestry in February 2013 and the STC used it in 2015as a roadmap to plan its activities and measure success.
  2. Due to a refocusing on distributing tree saplings and seedling the STC did not plant trees on public or school properties in 2015. This was in keeping with our objective to use township resources wisely.
  3. In 2015, BernardsTownshipapplied for and obtainedTree City USA status for year 2014 which represents this accomplishment for the tenth consecutive year.
  4. We organized Arbor Day celebrations with seeding distributions at four township elementary schools to almost 600 students.
  5. We manned informational booths at the annual Township Charter Day event as described under Public Education/Awareness, above.
  6. BernardsTownship continued to identify and remediate tree hazards in 2015 and conducted windshield survey in order to identify problem situations to DPW.

Community Stewardship Incentive Program

  1. Bernards Township met itsCEU training objectives for volunteers and DPW employees in 2015. In fact, we earned 46 CEUs in 2015 among 6 individuals.
  2. We received no grant money.
  3. The STC in conjunction with Keiling Tree Care sponsored an Emerald Ash Borer workshop on May 26, 2015 that was attended by 5 SCT commissioners and 30 township residents. This is one demonstration of the STC's continued public education and awareness activities. We intend to continue these efforts in 2016, particularly through continued awareness of the Five in 5 program and the Emerald Ash Borer problem.
  4. The STC held Arbor Day celebrations in 2015and will continue its Arbor Day activities in 2016.
  5. The Bernards Township STCfiled an application to renew Tree City USA status for 2015. Once approved, 2015will mark our eleventh consecutive year of Tree City USA status.
  6. The STC plans to continue its tree inventory.
  7. The STC remains committed to hazardous tree assessment and remediation. We conducted windshield surveys in one or more zone in 2015 as we continue to identify on a rolling basis potentially hazardous trees in the township right of ways and on township property. The STC will solicit the cooperation of the DPW in the timely and effective pruning and removal of hazardous trees.
  8. The STC will continue to maintainand seek closer involvement and coordination of efforts with the Parks and Recreation Committee to enhance our township parks and facilities and provide sustainable tree resources. This was evident in 2015 by teaming with Parks and Recreation on free sapling and "Throw 'n Grow" programs.

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