imperative and need action.

Achievements of following the initial Community Forestry Management Plan include:

• Street tree vacancies continue to be filled by tree planting grants, street improvement projects, and responses to requests from homeowners. In 1999, Somerville completed a street tree inventory that identified a vacancy rate of 56%.Somerville has made great strides. The town is beginning to restore the urban forest, planting trees using State grants and as part of road improvement projects. The previous, vacancy rate was approximately 45%. A current inventory does not exist.
• Shared expertise with the Borough and DSA on tree species selection for street improvement projects (repaving, curb and sidewalk replacements).
• Provided quarterly outreach events, programs, and trainings.
• Held annual Arbor Day tree events including free tree seedling giveaways and free resident dig outs of larger trees in tree arbor.
• Led the maintenance of the town tree nursery which was established in parkland through the collaborative efforts of local Girl Scouts, Recreation and Environmental Commission, and Department of Public Works.
• Facilitated the removal and transplant of trees from the nursery into parks.
• Successfully used the nursery as community project that supports public education and serves to grow trees to replant in town.
• Planted 200-300 willow tree stakes annually for the past 3 years into Peter’s Brook with the NJ Watershed and local scouts.
• The Borough met the training requirements as specified under the NJ Community Forestry Act and maintained approved status each year.
• Obtained an Environmental Commission web page to provide information.
• Coordinated with the planning board so that requirements to plant trees with new development projects were met.

These achievements correspond well with the goals and objectives and implementation timeline of the original plan. In some areas we have exceeded our goals. A highlight has been the increase in community involvement and volunteers which have resulted in meaningful projects.

Time and money are common problems encountered in implementing elements of the Plan. Our Commission’s work in municipal environmental issues has also divided our time.

We have been more successful in reaching the public as we have targeted communications and involvement with community groups such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, school groups, Recreation Department and sports leagues who use the parks. It is important to be realistic about what can be proposed and accomplished successfully so we continue to focus on collaborative efforts. Somerville’s Plan is implemented by a volunteer organization, the Environmental Commission, with assistance of, primarily, the Borough DPW. We have incorporated into the Plan activities that have been successful and an emphasis on continued tree planting. Our most important goal continues to be tree planting and advocating for the preservation and replacement of aging trees.

The Community Forestry Management Plan has been a stand-alone document. However, the