Scouts Prepare for Arbor Day

Boy Scout Troop 72 and Cub Scout Packs 177, 215 and 218 joined together with the township's Parks and Forestry Department to continue a longstanding  tradition.

In 1972, then-Parks Director Joseph Jannarone Sr. introduced an idea: presenting every third grader in town with his or her very own tree seedling. Over the passing decades, many trees in this town—a national Tree City USA since 1975—have grown from the plantings made by local school children.

For 2012, the tradition continued as the scouts gathered Thursday evening at the Parks and Forestry building on Knoll Road to prepare pine tree seedlings, which will be distributed to third graders Friday.

Parks and Forestry Director James Walsh helped the kids work and recalled receiving his own seedling when he was 8 years old.

"Who would have imagined that one day, I would be giving out the trees?" he said.

Walsh said Parsippany-Troy Hills is one of only 17 U.S. municipalities designated as a Tree City every year since the program began.