Englewood Reforestation in Progress

 

By Kathy Urffer

 

In celebration of Arbor Day, our WMA5 Watershed Ambassador Nick Vos-Wein organized a tree planting and park beautification project at Crystal Lake Park in Englewood on April 30. The Flat Rock Brook flows through this small city park on its way to the Overpeck Creek and eventually into the Hackensack River.

Partnering with Hackensack Riverkeeper, the New Jersey Tree Foundation, and the City of Englewood, Nick worked with the Mayor of Englewood, local students and volunteers from Hackensack Riverkeeper to plant 65 trees and remove the litter from the park.

The park has almost no canopy cover and is over-run by resident Canada geese. The Green ash, Hackberry, Silky dogwood, and Tulip trees that were planted will provide a number of valuable services. Trees absorb nutrients and runoff, provide shade that keeps water temperature down (many fish and invertebrate species cannot live in warmer water), provide habitat for native wildlife species, serve as a natural sound barrier (which will further buffer the sound of the adjacent highway), purify the air we breathe, and deter geese from inhabiting the park (bacteria from goose waste is among the biggest problems facing water quality in New Jersey).

Representatives from the city, including Karen Rawl of the Environmental Commission and Darryl Fennell of the Department of Public Works, were very supportive of the Arbor Day planting and were instrumental in organizing the event. Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes thanked the volunteers for their efforts and said that trees will be a welcome addition to the city.