On Saturday, April 30th, in honor of Arbor Day, Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning, Committee Member Uma Purandare, and the members of the Environmental Commission celebrated the planting of Hopewell Township’s Salem Oak seedling in Woolsey Park!
On June 6, 2019, the iconic Salem Oak Tree crashed to the ground. It was a state treasure, estimated at 565 years old, and witness to much of New Jersey’s history. Before it fell, it stood 103 feet tall, with a circumference of 22 feet, 4 inches, and a crown that spanned 104 feet. Through a program by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Hopewell Township received a Salem Oak seedling along with each of the state’s 565 municipalities. The seedling was accompanied by a certificate authenticating its lineage and will be included in a website showing all the locations of the Salem Oak “babies.”
Hopewell Township has always prided itself on its rural character and commitment to sustainability and open space. And we love our trees! We are an official Tree City USA, a program of the National Arbor Day Foundation, one of 3,400+ communities across the country. Our Salem Oak will be lovingly cared for by the Department of Public Works and the Environmental Commission.
