FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2014
Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the “Greening Union County” 2014 grant opportunity. Greening Union County is a countywide tree-planting program available to each of the twenty one municipalities in Union County.
The program helps local governments offset the cost of planting trees with matching grants from the Union County Open Space, Recreation & Historic Preservation Trust Fund. Through the “Greening Union County” grant initiative, every tree purchased by each municipality will be matched by Union County, tree for tree, complete with installation by forestry professionals with a one-year maintenance guarantee.
“Planting trees throughout our communities has numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “The Freeholder Board is committed to supporting the greening efforts of our municipalities.”
Freeholder Angel G. Estrada initiated the program while serving as Freeholder Board Chairman in 2004. Since its inception, over 6,000 trees have been planted throughout Union County.
Depending on the applicants’ needs, “Greening Union County” provides grants for new trees at public parks, historic sites and other public facilities, as well as on streets.
“The benefits of planting trees go beyond aesthetics,” said Freeholder Bruce H. Bergen, Chairman of the Open Space Trust Fund. “Research shows that planting trees helps to improve air quality, conserve energy, reduce water pollution, and provide shade from the sun’s UV rays.”
The application deadline for the “Greening Union County” 2014 matching grant program is August 11, 2014.
For additional information on the “Greening Union County” grant program contact Victoria Durbin Drake of the Union County Office of Open Space, Historic Preservation and Recreation Trust Fund at 908-558-2278, or visit online at ucnj.org.
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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook atwww.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Kubina via flickr.com.