This spring, Bordentown Township is doing something special to mark a milestone 250 years in the making — and we need your help to make it happen.
We're planting 250 native trees across our parks and public spaces in honor of America's 250th anniversary. But 50 of those trees belong to you. We're giving them away free to township residents, and we're asking our community to help us make history — one tree at a time.
In partnership with Turek Consulting LLC and Design For Generations LLC, the Township's 250 Tree Initiative brings seven historically significant native species to six locations across Bordentown — each species chosen not just for its beauty, but for its deep roots in the American story.
“Bordentown Township has always been a community that understands its place in history,” said Mayor Aneka A. Miller. “Planting 250 trees in honor of America’s 250th anniversary isn’t just a gesture — it’s a commitment. These trees will grow alongside our residents, shade our children’s children, and stand as a living reminder that what we do today shapes the landscape of tomorrow. I couldn’t be more proud of what this initiative represents for our community.”
Where the Trees Are Going
Trees will be planted at six locations across the Township:
• Constitution Park / Community Garden
• Joseph Lawrence Park Splash Pad Playground
• Fern Lane Walking Path
• Thorntown Park
• Northern Community Park
• New Bordentown Township Municipal Complex
Seven Species, Seven Stories
Seven native tree species were chosen for this initiative — each with a unique place in the American story:
Red Sunset Maple — Among the most abundant native trees in the eastern United States, used by Indigenous peoples for medicine, tools, and dye for centuries.
Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple — Central to early American self-sufficiency and famously championed by abolitionists as “freedom sugar” — a moral alternative to cane sugar produced by enslaved labor. Thomas Jefferson attempted to establish a sugar maple grove at Monticello.
Shadblow Serviceberry — Served as a natural calendar for Native American communities, signaling the spring fish run and the thawing of the ground after winter. Lewis and Clark are recorded as having survived on its berries during their expedition.
Eastern Redbud — One of the first trees to bloom in early spring, it graced the gardens of both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson at Mount Vernon and Monticello.
Emerald Sentinel Red Cedar — Revered as the Tree of Life by numerous Indigenous nations and listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia for medicinal use from 1820 to 1894. Early French explorers in Louisiana named Baton Rouge after the blood-stained red cedar poles they encountered used by Indigenous peoples to mark hunting boundaries.
Swamp White Oak — A symbol of American longevity, appearing in land deeds as a natural property boundary marker as early as the 1830s and prized by early Americans for furniture, barrels, and structural construction.
Princeton American Elm — A disease-resistant cultivar restoring the iconic vase-shaped canopies that once defined town streets across America before Dutch Elm Disease devastated the species in the 20th century. Boston’s Liberty Tree — a rallying point for colonists protesting the Stamp Act in 1765 — was an American elm.
Free Trees for Bordentown Township Residents
Want to be part of it? Now it’s your turn to plant.
As part of the initiative, Bordentown Township is giving away 50 trees — completely free — to township residents. Three special varieties are available to apply for: the Hearts of Fire Redbud, the Cascading Hearts Redbud, and the Princeton American Elm.
The giveaway launches June 13th at the Bordentown Township Green Fair, but you don’t need to attend to participate. Residents can apply year-round through this online form. Trees are distributed on a first come, first served basis and will be available until all 50 have been claimed.
This is your community. These are your trees. We hope you’ll help us grow something lasting.