Lawrence Township Shade Tree Advisory Committee is set to conduct two Arbor Day activities.
The committee is set to host an Arbor Day ceremony and Meet a Metasequoia.
The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection has been promoting Arbor Day since 1949. In that year, state legislature designated the last Friday in April as the official day to honor trees and the people who take care of them. The township has recognized Arbor Day with tree related activities every year since 1996.
The Arbor Day ceremony is scheduled for 12 p.m. April 25 at the New Jersey National Guard Armory, 101 Eggerts Crossing Road, Lawrence.
The ceremony includes planting of an October Glory Red Maple tree at the National Guard Armory in memory of those who served.
Lawrence Township Council issued a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day to be presented to the New Jersey National Guard.
Meet a Metasequoia is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 26 at the Lawrence Township Nature Center, 481 Drexel Ave., Lawrence.
The program includes a presentation about the Dawn Redwood, which has the botanical name of Metasequoia glyptostroboides.
The Dawn Redwood shares similarities with the giant Redwoods of California but grows well in N.J.’s climate. The tree was rediscovered in China during World War II after having been thought to be extinct. It has the same appearance as it did in the late Cretaceous period based on fossil records.
A Metasequoia grows at the Nature Center.
The township is considering the Metasequoia for a proposed memorial tree planting in a public park located on Princeton Pike across from Foxcroft Drive. Residents are invited to donate funds to plant a Metasequoia as a living memorial in the park.
Free tree seedlings will be available at both events. The seedlings are being provided through the State Forestry Service for The New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign.
The Shade Tree Advisory Committee was created by the Township Council to provide advice on street tree matters. The committee is scheduled to meet the fourth Monday of each month.
More information is online at lawrencetwp.com.
