Through the collaboration of the county and the New Jersey Tree Foundation, which received free trees from the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Division of Community Forestry for the project, trees of various species were planted on Orange Road and Elm and Grove streets.

The project began in Montclair last Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Shortly after noon this past Monday, five crewmen from the foundation finished planting the last of the trees, a cherry tree in front of a colonial home on the corner of Grove Street and Euclid Place.

Another 75 trees will be planted in Montclair in April 2009, said Lisa Simms, the foundation’s director.

Essex County Environmental Center Director Tara Casella presented a certificate to Simms for undertaking the local job, as well as for planting another 300 trees on county roads in Irvington. Casella also presented a similar certificate to James Cunnigham, a foundation worker who supervised the project.

"I think it’s a strong beginning," said 2nd Ward Councilman Cary Africk, who attended Monday’s event. "We are getting Montclair back to the tree preeminence it once had."

Many of the smaller trees such as cherry, tree lilac and hedge maple, were planted under utility wires and will not exceed 25 feet in height, Simms said. Larger trees, including elm, oak, pear and Zelkovas, were planted away from wires, and can grow to about 100 feet, she said.

About 1,400 trees of assorted species are being planted this autumn in Essex, Passaic, Hudson and Union counties, Simms said.

Workers began planting 75 trees this past Tuesday in neighboring Clifton, she said.

The foundation typically plants trees on school properties and on streets in the Lower Passaic and Arthur Kill watersheds, but Simms said she wanted to start planting on county roads in Essex because "they really needed them."

Planting a tree in front of a home, as was done on Monday, can reduce the home’s energy costs, as tree shade cools the house. Trees also can increase a home’s property value by about 10 percent, according to real estate surveys, Simms said.

"We’re always grateful for the help the county gives us in making Montclair a more livable place," said Montclair Mayor Jerry Fried, who peddled his bicycle to attend Monday’s event.

DiVincenzo said that for years he has been urging the planting of trees for health and environmental benefits.

"They talk about global warming, so what’s more important than planting trees?" he asked.

Township Arborist Steve Schuckman said an additional 100 trees will be planted in Montclair next month.

Between 60 and 75 trees were special requests, such as those being planted in front of residents’ homes. The remaining trees – among them sugar maples, hedge maples, triumph elms, red buds and Katsuras – will be planted on township streets, including Gordonhurst Avenue, Dryden Road and Park Street.

"My goal is to reduce planting species [such as the Norway maples] that the town has an excess of and increase the diversity of the town," Schuckman said.

Contact Tanya Drobness at drobness@montclairtimes.com.