By Wendy Greenberg
Involving students in planning, planting, and monitoring trees will “foster positive connections” between students and the trees in their community,” notes the state organization Trees for Schools.
Such a connection between students and trees will be grown in Princeton. A grant to Princeton Public Schools (PPS) will result in a leafy landscape of 85 new trees across the district’s six school campuses. The $92,125 grant, awarded through Trees for Schools, allows for the purchase and planting of the trees, including planning, site preparation, watering, monitoring, and maintenance over a three-year period.
Sustainable Princeton partnered with PPS for the grant, considering it a “natural extension of our mission to inspire sustainable actions throughout the community,” said Christine Symington, Sustainable Princeton executive director, in a press release. She added that the project “brings tangible environmental benefits to our schools while also fostering student engagement with climate solutions.”
The first stage of the grant involves preparing a detailed planting plan by a certified arborist, said Sustainable Princeton Program Manager Jenny Ludmer. This includes specific tree species and their designated locations. The grant encourages New Jersey native species, but allows any, as long as they aren’t considered invasive species, she added.
One goal of the detailed planting plan will be to determine specific species for each location already under consideration. The plan and revised budget are due by mid-November, she said.
The importance of planting trees, said Ludmer, is that they “are vital and entwined in our lives. They create the air we breathe, filter air pollution, and soak up stormwater. Trees also provide cool shade and offer shelter and food for both animals and people. In addition, trees trap and hold carbon, while adding beauty and improving curb appeal.”
Trees increase shade to ease the heat of the sun, beautify their surroundings, soak up and filter stormwater runoff, and reduce the state’s carbon footprint, as noted by the Trees for Schools program. Tree for Schools is a joint effort of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Sustainable Jersey, and The College of New Jersey.
The program is funded through New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — a multi-state, market-based program that establishes a regional cap on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Proceeds from cap auctions are used to fund programs to benefit the environment.
Launched in 2023, Trees for Schools provides grant funding to New Jersey public school districts, county colleges, and state colleges and universities for planting trees on school grounds and campuses.
The Trees for Schools grant funds will plant more than 4,500 trees at public schools, colleges, and universities across the state. These grants are part of the second round of funding through the program; the first round of grants was awarded in 2023 and resulted in the planting of nearly 3,000 trees at 33 school campuses.
The Trees for Schools grant recipients will now work with the project team to develop their tree project design and participate in tree-planting workshops, with the goal of planting more than 4,500 trees in Spring 2026.
“The tree plantings at schools across New Jersey will provide environmental benefits for communities and inspire students to be stewards for the environment we share,” said Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn M. LaTourette. “Many of the plantings will also improve residents’ quality of life in communities that have disproportionate access to green spaces.”
The Sustainable Jersey School website notes that grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000 and support costs including planning, site preparation, tree purchases, planting, and two years of maintenance.
Other local awardees in Mercer County are Paul Robeson Charter School, $212,150; The College of New Jersey, $250,000; and Hamilton Township School District, $23,000.
PPS Superintendent Mike LaSusa acknowledged the grant and the prospect of new trees. “We are thrilled to receive the Trees for Schools grant, which will help us create greener, healthier learning environments across our campuses,” he said in the PPS press release. “This is more than a beautification project. It’s a living lesson in environmental stewardship, climate resilience, and community care. Our students and staff will benefit from shade and cleaner air, and our district will contribute to building a more sustainable future for the entire community.”
More information is available at sustainablejerseyschools.com.