Lakewood Township Holds Arbor Day Celebration
The public, members of the Shade Tree Commission, and officials from Lakewood Township, recently celebrated Arbor Day by planting three Kwanzan cherry trees (Prunus Serrulata Kwanzan), with help from the Lakewood Public Works Department, in the Larry D’Zio Park, Locust Street, Lakewood. Lakewood Township has held Arbor Day ceremonies and planted hundreds of trees over the years to recognize the importance of planting trees.
Some of those who attended included Deputy Mayor Menashe Miller, liaison to the Shade Tree Commission, and his son; Lakewood Township Committeeman Mike D’Elia; Craig Theibault, vice chairman of the Shade Tree Commission, and members John Craddox and Joanne Kashansky; Patrick Donnelly, director of Public Works; Phil Roux, Lakewood Public Works; and Yaakov Wenger, publisher of the Lakewood Shopper, and his son.
Lakewood has been awarded “Tree City USA” for more than 30 years for its outstanding urban forestry. The first celebration of Arbor Day in the United States took place in 1872. The holiday, is held on the last Friday in April.
Craig J. Theibault, vice chairman of the Lakewood Shade Tree Commission, said, “You know what they say, ‘The best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago; the second best time is today.’”
Theibault, who holds a B. S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, has been a member of the Ocean County Shade Tree Commission since 1992. Besides serving on the Shade Tree Commission locally, Theibault has also served as a member of the N.J. Community Forestry Council, a 20-member advisory board to the State Forester, since 1999.