In some parts of Newark, you’ll have no problem seeing trees; Branch Brook Park has more than 5,000 of them. Other parts of Newark are far behind. It’s a personal mission for people like Nicole Miller to nurture new trees in the city. Miller works with the Newark Green Team, which is focused on planting more trees around the city. The goal is to plant 400 to 500 trees over the next two years.
Lisa Simms, executive director of the New Jersey Tree Foundation, says, “You can’t just throw a plant into the ground, walk away, and hope that it survives. They need water; trees, especially, are an investment … That entails making sure they get enough water during the hot summer months, making sure their mulch bed is clean of weeds, that they get a regular mulching every year.” That maintenance is worth it, Simms says, because in the long run, trees cool down a city by reducing what’s called the urban heat island effect.
