East Windsor Among Three Towns Replanting Thousands of Trees

East Windsor is one of three towns taking place in a reforestation project that includes the planting of thousands of trees that were previously removed as part of the New Jersey Turnpike widening project, nj.com reports.

The other two towns involved in the $11 million project are Robbinsville and Hamilton, according to the report.

The project comes after the towns filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Turnpike Authority, according to the report. The state said it was keeping the reforestation funds to maintain state parks and keep them open. It was a violation of the No Net Loss Reforestation Act, stating the state is required to replant trees when it is responsible for at least a half acre of land loss. This prompted the lawsuit, according to the report.

East Windsor lost 115 acres of land during the widening project, and received almost $5 million as a result of the lawsuit, according to the report. About 10,000 trees have been replanted in East Windsor, with a goal of 16,000 being replanted by project's end, according to the report.

Trees have been planted in the area around Milford, Etra and One Mile roads, as well as at Etra Lake Park and Disbrow Hill Park, according to the report.