Newark to plant 500 trees by end of year: 'I want every street to be lined with trees'

NEWARK, N.J. -  A day before his fifth birthday, Andre may have already found work as an arborist in Newark as he dug a hole along the sidewalk on Central Avenue for someone to "plant a tree here."

In Andre's case, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; his mom, Nicole Hewitt-Cabral, is the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City and orchestrator of its new program, 'Rooted in Newark.'

"In 30 years, I want every street in Newark to be lined with trees," said Hewitt-Cabral.

In an Earth Day ceremony on Tuesday, the City announced plans to plant 500 trees this year, including 5,000 over the next ten years. Hewitt-Cabral says not only does green space clean the air and provide cooling to cities like Newark, but it also has an impact on crime.

"There is a direct correlation between tree-lined streets, green space and crime," said Hewitt-Cabral. "Areas that have a lot of trees, have a lot of green space, have less crime."

Leaders say Rooted in Newark is not about planting trees for the sake of it; the program strategically plants the right trees at the right time in different seasons and in all five wards. Residents can even request trees to be planted on their street.

"I just think it's what Newark needs," said Tamasia Laney, a student at Weequahic High School.

While students of Weequahic High School are on spring break, they're not taking a break from beautifying their City.

"Maybe it'll change the people, and then people will change the city," said Laney. "That's how it works."

"It's to show that it's bigger than just yourself," said Hashim Bennett, a biology and environmental science teacher at the school. "It's not just about one person and their efforts. It's about a collective and everyone contributing and everyone having a similar mindset to be able to have a healthy community."