JCP&L employees plant more than 2,000 trees across New Jersey in 2025 as part of environmental initiative

NEW JERSEY — Employee volunteers from Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., have planted more than 2,000 trees across the company’s New Jersey service area so far this year, reinforcing a company-wide commitment to environmental sustainability.

To date, JCP&L has planted 2,174 trees, surpassing two-thirds of last year’s total of 2,795. The initiative is part of FirstEnergy’s broader goal to donate 25,000 trees in 2025 across its five-state service territory. The company is on pace to exceed that milestone, with nearly 23,000 trees already planted.

“We are fortunate to work and raise our families in one of the most beautiful states in the country and privileged to give back to our communities with a program that provides a greener, cleaner and healthier environment,” said Doug Mokoid, president of FirstEnergy’s New Jersey operations. “Our team members often clean up fallen trees after storms, and I’m proud of their commitment to volunteering their time to restore what was lost by planting anew.”

Tree-planting sites are selected in partnership with local nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on placing trees safely away from power lines and other utility infrastructure. Native species such as red maple, river birch, dogwood, white oak, northern red oak, shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory and pitch pine are used to support local ecosystems.

Highlights of the 2025 planting efforts include:

• 580+ trees planted on Earth Day at Camp Sacajawea in Farmingdale with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore.
• 400 trees planted at Tempe Wick Preserve in Mendham with Schiff Natural Lands Trust and Mendham Township Environmental Commission.
• School-based plantings, including 160 trees at Howell Middle School South, 100 trees at Milford Brook Elementary in Manalapan, and 64 trees at Clara B. Worth Elementary in Bayville.
• 180 trees planted at Wattles Stewardship Center in Port Murray with the N.J. Audubon Society and 250 trees at Hampton Borough Park with the Musconetcong Watershed Association.
• 300+ trees planted at Winding River Park in Toms River, near the site of a recent wildfire that scorched over 15,000 acres.

In addition to hands-on planting, JCP&L employees also support tree distribution events. In early May, volunteers handed out 150 seedlings at the New Jersey Sustainability Summit at Bell Works in Holmdel, home to the company’s central New Jersey headquarters.

The initiative is led by JCP&L’s Green Team, a group of employees who coordinate and support environmental projects. So far this year, more than 40 Green Team members have contributed 214 volunteer hours to tree-planting activities. JCP&L launched the first Green Team within FirstEnergy in 2018, with chapters now active in every state the company serves.