Reforestation efforts in Brightwood Park
We are using double-pronged approach to restore the Brightwood Park Forest for future generations. You can help!
Seedlings protected from predation by cages as part of the "Grow Your Own Forest" project. These young trees will be studied by FOBP volunteers over the next five years.
What reforestation efforts are underway?
This fall, the Friends of Brightwood Park (FOBP) is starting the second wave of its reforestation plantings with 200 native tree tubelings. These will be planted in barren canopy areas where invasive plants have been cleared.
At the same time, FOBP is excited to announce that it is participating in a new effort, the "Grow Your Own Forest" project initiated by Jean Epiphan, Morris County's Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent and Rutgers Assistant Professor. This project is funded by a grant of the Agricultural Agents Association of NJ and is designed to protect and study seedlings and their ability to reach maturity.
Through the efforts of FOBP volunteer, Bianca Wright , 77 existing park seedlings including a variety of native tree species will be part of the study. The project has provided wire cages for these seedlings to protect them from deer and other animals. In exchange for the cages, FOBP volunteers will measure and document the trees' growth and development for at least 5 years, providing valuable study data.
Through out reforestation initiatives in 2023 and 2024, FOBP will have contributed over 370 tree and shrub tubelings and have protected another 77 tree seedlings in the park!
Why is this reforestation effort so important?
About 40% of New Jersey is covered by trees - counting single trees, small groves, and expansive woodlands. All are facing various threats depending on the area. These cause stress to the trees, reduce the immunity of adult trees, and lead to lower germination rates of tree seeds. The latter causes a shortage of natural tree regeneration which will lead to less of New Jersey’s land being covered and shaded by tree canopies in the future.
‘Grow Your Own Forest’ is aiming to counter this trend by educating homeowners and land stewards, helping them to identify which tree seedlings grow in their yard or in a park they care for, teaching them how to care for the seedlings properly, and providing protective wire mesh cages to them so that the seedlings can reach maturity. FOBP volunteers found the seedlings of Black Tupelo and Cherry, various Hickories, Maples, and Oaks, Slippery Elm, Sassafras, and Tuliptree. Most of these are keystone species of New Jersey. Each tree has been given a unique code which was entered into a database where their development will be tracked.
Where is reforestation happening?
The reforestation in Brightwood Park is currently concentrated in areas where FOBP volunteers have made strides removing Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis). Here sunlight reaches the ground and allows seeds to germinate. Of course, not only desired native species start coming up, a variety of invasive plants are opportunistic as well. For example, Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) have begun invading these areas. FOBP has been, and will continue to, remove these as part of the suite of protective measures to help the tree seedlings grow.
How is reforestation measured?
The growth of the seedlings in the study will be measured annually in September. The initial data from this year will document the baseline for each tree’s height and canopy width. Measurements in the following years will catalog how each seedling develops.
If you are interested in helping with this and would like to be trained in how to collect the data, please click the button below to email The Friends of Brightwood Park and get involved with this project.
