Local tree planting event aims to engage community members to take an active role in the overall health of their communities

Skillman, NJ - On Sunday, October 19th, the Sourland Conservancy will partner with the Arbor Day Foundation to host a community event to help plant 1,000 trees in Skillman Park. 

The Sourland Conservancy works to protect, promote, and preserve the unique character of the Sourland Mountain Region – a refuge for natural and cultural diversity. The Sourland Conservancy is working with the Arbor Day Foundation, the world’s largest membership nonprofit dedicated to planting trees.

The Sourland Mountain Region has lost more than 1 million trees since 2020 due to an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. This planting at Skillman Park is part of the Sourland Conservancy’s Ecological Restoration Project, a regional initiative focused on restoring riparian buffers to prevent erosion, reduce downstream flooding, and improve water quality. These restoration sites enhance critical habitat for birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and macroinvertebrates, while strengthening habitat corridors for terrestrial wildlife and pollinators.

“The Arbor Day Foundation is dedicated to helping our local planting partners unlock the transformative power of trees in their community,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Trees clean our air, cool our cities and improve the lives of the people around them. We’re happy to help the Sourland Conservancy maximize the impact of their canopy and inspire more people to engage with nature in a meaningful way.”

Trees offer vast benefits for the community at large. Thriving forests bolster human health, from encouraging physical activity to reducing respiratory illnesses stemming from air pollution. Trees filter the air by removing pollution, which improves a city’s overall air quality. They also reduce runoff of sediment, pollutants, and organic matter into streams, improving our water quality. Trees have also been shown to reduce crime, lower stress levels, and develop community pride. 

To learn more about this event and the Sourland Conservancy’s work, visit: sourland.org

About the Sourland Conservancy

The Sourland Conservancy is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit protecting the Sourland Mountain Region. The 90-square-mile region is home to the largest contiguous forest in Central New Jersey.  It encompasses a complex ecosystem of forest, wetlands and grasslands.  Its mosaic of habitats is home to an incredibly rich diversity of animal and plant species, many rare or endangered.

Since 2020, Sourland Conservancy staff, interns, and volunteers have planted and protected more than 57,500 trees in response to the loss of more than one million trees due to an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. These plantings, focused on riparian and post-agricultural land, and protected by deer exclosures, will boost the forest’s ability to provide clean air, filter water, reduce flooding, sequester carbon and provide critical habitat for humans and wildlife-including 57 state-listed, threatened, and endangered species that rely on the Sourland Region for survival..

About the Arbor Day Foundation 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning. 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.