By Kathryn Custer
CCC Journalism Program
CAMDEN COUNTY COLLEGE – Students can look forward to more greenery on their campuses starting this summer. Camden County College was recently awarded a grant to plant 75 native species trees on the Camden and Cherry Hill campuses.
The grant was released in April 2023 and CCC submitted a proposal in July 2023. The deadline for planting the trees is May 31, 2024, and plans are underway to begin the planting of various saplings on the campuses. The William G. Rohrer Center will be receiving 50 trees and the Camden City campus will receive 25 trees.
A contract is out for bid for who will spearhead the planting of the trees and the campuses will also hire an arborist to maintain the trees. The college Board of Trustees hopes to have the contracts finalized at its monthly meeting on May 7.
Some of the saplings that students may see planted on the campuses are the Kwanzan Cherry, Chinese Dogwood, Weeping Norway Spruce, American Holly, Little Leaf Linden and Velvet Pillar Crabapple. The tree species have been reviewed and approved by the grantor to be planted on the campuses.
Karen Nicholson, director of the grants office, said, “CCC’s goal for the project is to enhance student learning by providing green spaces for students to study, reflect and relax. At both locations, we plan to create outdoor sitting areas shaded by flowering trees and planting trees to provide shade and beauty.”
The grant program is titled Trees for Schools: Tree-planting Grants for New Jersey Public Schools, Colleges, and Universities and is funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with funds provided by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. CCC was awarded $167,550.43 of the $4.55 million in grants offered to New Jersey public school districts, county and state colleges and universities. The grant not only includes planting of the trees but also the maintenance of the trees for three years. The goal for the grant is to plant 3,000 trees across New Jersey to combat climate change and target areas with elevated temperatures because of excess pavement or little tree coverage.
Student Daryle Barnes, who is part of the Environmental Club at CCC, is excited to hear of the plans with the grant. “The addition of trees can significantly improve the aesthetic appeal and ecological health of our campuses. It also represents an important step toward sustainability and environmental responsibility, which are crucial in today’s context of climate change and biodiversity loss,” Barnes said.
Because of the overwhelming number of applications received for the grant program, the DEP hopes to sponsor more grants in 2024 to help more schools participate in planting trees on their campuses. For more information on the grant, including other schools that have received funding, visit https://www.sustainablejerseyschools.com/grants/trees-for-schools.
