This fall, the NJ Tree Foundation had the opportunity to partner with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority and the South Jersey Land & Water Trust to plant trees at the Cramer Hill Nature Preserve. The Cramer Hill Nature Preserve, which officially opened in May of this year, is a 35 acre forest in Camden City. This park was once the site of illegal dumping and a sewage treatment plant, but has since been remediated. The Cramer Hill Nature preserve also hosts a portion of the Circuit Trail, an 800-mile network of trails that spans from Philadelphia and into Camden. The Circuit Trail runs along Farragut Ave and works its way through the adjacent neighborhood.
On September 28th, the NJ Tree Foundation planted 10 trees with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority and the South Jersey Land & Water Trust. The event drew 33 volunteers from all over South Jersey to assist with the planting. Eight out of ten trees are Atlantic White Cedar, a native tree species that historically has thrived in this area. In order to re-establish the population, volunteers planted a small grove of these trees inside the preserve near the trail. “There’s only one other population of Atlantic White Cedar on the whole Delaware River” explains Michael Hogan from the South Jersey Land & Water Trust. “We wanted to bring back trees that were naturally there 400 years ago’”. The Center for Aquatic Sciences in Camden also attended the event, and presented on the local ecology of the area. Volunteers learned more about the wildlife that calls the Cramer Hill Nature Preserve home. The NJ Tree Foundation and partners hope the trees will re-establish a population in the preserve. The growing Atlantic White Cedars will be a great visual for hikers and bikers as they travel along the Circuit Trail. In the spring, we hope to return to the preserve to continue planting trees #onthecircuit and throughout the park.
