Newark Tree Canopy Initiative

On Monday March 30th, 2026, the partners of the Newark Tree Canopy Initiative launched their first round of tree plantings with the inaugural Urban Forestry Workforce Development Training Program Trainees.18 trees were planted in the central ward, with GNC's Raihaanah Hall at the helm. We have also planted 39 more trees in the central ward, 9 trees in the west ward, and 5 trees in the east ward with our UFWDTP workforce. We have stewarded our 86 trees from the Fall with a mulch refresh. And finally, Timisha Woods and Acelia Davis ran Newark Green Teams first volunteer planting on April 11th, 2026 where they planted 10 trees in the north ward with an astounding turn out of volunteers (50+).

The experience this Spring, though challenging, has been the most rewarding of my entire professional career, hands down. Watching community members come together and plant trees like pro arborists has been completely inspiring. Thank you to everyone who fought for the workforce development & volunteer parts of our program that have provided opportunities for Newarkers to become an active part of expanding the tree canopy and the opportunity it provided the Nature Conservancy to interact with so many wonderful participants.

This moment, of course, would not have been possible without the support of all our partners. Thank you to the City of Newark, the Tree Superintendent, and the Office of Sustainability, Resilience, and Community Transformation for providing guidance, best practices, and swift permit review. Thank you to Dr. Grabosky, Roslyn Dvorin, and the teaching team at Rutgers University for preparing the trainees so well. (No one was about to bury a root flare out in the field!) Thank you to NJIT and Rutgers CEWRP who are

rapidly developing their own academic and storm water aspects of the project that will surely enhance our efforts. Thank you to TPL who will help in upcoming months with community outreach for the Community Forestry Master Plan.

And thank you most adamantly to our community-based partners (SWEA, GNC, NGT, ICC, & UVSO) and the Tree Canopy Coordinators for their dedication and hard work. You are the glue that hold this project together.