Outreach Program

In New Jersey, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. The NJ Forest Service, NJ Tree Foundation, NJ Community Forestry Council, and municipal shade tree program representatives from throughout the State gather to plant and celebrate trees. In 2019, the Rutgers Urban Forestry Program was honored as the host of the State Arbor Day Celebration. The theme was “From Seed to Saw” and the event included a sawmill demonstration, ceremonial tree planting, and awards ceremony.

For Arbor Day 2024, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting a photo contest!

We maintain contacts with professional organizations representing Urban Forestry and Arboricultural industry in New Jersey in order to better promote the industry to our students, and to help match students in the Urban Forestry Major Option and Urban Forestry Certificate programs with internship opportunities and work placement.

For a list of internships, job opportunities, and scholarships, see the Academic Program Menu.

For information about the professional organizations that represent Arboriculture and Urban Forestry in New Jersey, see the links below:

1. NJ Board of Tree Experts
2. NJ Society of Certified Tree Experts
3. International Society of Arboriculture
4. NJ Arborists Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture
5. Committee for the Advancement of Arboriculture
6. NJ Division of the Allegheny Society of American Foresters

We are a partner organization with the NJ Forest, Landscape, and Agricultural Pest Roundtable, an interdisciplinary team comprised of representatives from the NJ Department of Agriculture, NJ State Forest Service, USDA APHIS, Rutgers University, and the US Forest Service. The Task Force works to collaborate on pest management decisions and advice, and to consolidate and disburse information and resources relevant to these pests in New Jersey.

NJ Forest, Landscape, and Agricultural Pest Resources:

• Emerald Ash Borer
• Spotted Lanternfly
• Beech Leaf Disease
• Elm Zizag Sawfly
• Asian Longhorned Beetle
• Spongy Moth
• Pine Shoot Beetle

Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12.

Visit the links below to learn more.

1. NJ Project Learning Tree
2. NJ PLT Forestry Career Profiles

The New Jersey Urban & Community Forestry Program (NJUCF) is one of our governmental partners.  The NJUCF program is where biotic and abiotic resources connect to increase the function of our urban, human-occupied ecosystems.

1. NJUCF Continuing Education

Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has published hundreds of fact sheets on a wide variety of topics.

Rutgers NJAES Environmental & Natural Resources Fact Sheets

How to Hire a Tree Care Professional

i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. The i-Tree tools can help strengthen forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying forest structure and the environmental benefits that trees provide.

The i-Tree website offers a multitude of training opportunities for their free software.  Most recently they conducted a 2023 i-Tree Open Academy, and the recordings are available here. If you are interested in learning more about the value of your urban forests check it out!

• Guide to Assessing Urban Forests