Cherry Blossom Renewal
Planting of New Trees starts in
Essex County Branch Brook Park
Essex County Executive DiVincenzo Kicks Off Initiative to Increase
the Number of Cherry Blossom Trees
Newark, NJ – Work to plant 200 new Cherry Blossom Trees in Essex County Branch Brook Park started on Thursday, June 22nd. The tree plantings are part of Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.’s initiative to replace old trees that have died and increase the number of Cherry Blossom Trees in the Park to over 4,000 during the next three years.
“This is a significant investment and step forward to help preserve and strengthen one of our natural treasures so future generations can enjoy them like we have. My goal is to make Essex County Branch Brook Park the premiere location for Cherry Blossoms,” DiVincenzo said. “Our Cherry Blossom groves are a tri-state attraction that brings thousands of visitors into the park every spring. When our new trees are in bloom next year, the public will be treated to a display that is even more inspiring and colorful,” he added.
VIP Contractors of Union was awarded a $654,575 contract to plant the Cherry Blossom trees. The contractor is scheduled to plant 200 trees by the end of June and will plant a another 1,000 trees over the next two years. The Essex County Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board is providing the funding for the tree plantings. The non-profit Branch Brook Park Alliance hired Rhodeside & Harwell of Virginia to develop a Cherry Blossom Tree Master Plan. The County is utilizing this plan to identify locations where the Cherry Blossom Trees will be planted.
“The County Executive’s initiative to add more Cherry Blossom trees to Branch Brook Park is a natural fit for the Open Space Trust Fund. Replanting the Cherry Blossoms will help perpetuate a beautiful and natural spectacle that we have enjoyed for almost 80 years,” said Lori Tanner, Chairwoman of the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board.
“What Joe is doing here is amazing. Not only is he helping to fulfill a dream of the Branch Brook Park Alliance, but he is cutting the amount of time to get it done,” said Barbara Bell Coleman, Chair of the Branch Brook Park Alliance. “The Cherry Blossoms unite everyone. They should be treasured, they should be preserved and they should be experienced,” she added.
Many of the original Cherry Blossoms planted in Branch Brook Park were donated to the Essex County Park System by the Bamberger and Mrs. Felix Fuld family in 1927. At its height, there were about 3,000 Cherry Blossoms in Branch Brook Park. According to the Branch Brook Park Alliance, the Cherry Blossoms are dying because of old age and only about 1,100 trees remain. Essex County’s Cherry Blossoms are approaching their 79th anniversary, which is nine years longer than the average lifespan of a Japanese Cherry Blossom. As the trees get older, they stop blooming and eventually decay.
DiVincenzo’s administration has completed several improvement projects in Branch Brook Park as part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the Essex County Park System. The baseball/softball complex in the Branch Brook Park Middle Division was reopened in April after an $11 million remediation and modernization, and the historic restoration of the Park Avenue Bridge was completed in 2005. Entrance enhancements, new fencing and landscaping along Clifton Avenue and a major improvement project along Lake Street have made the park more inviting. DiVincenzo also has established partnerships with several community groups, including the Branch Brook Park Alliance, to apply for grant funding so additional improvements can be made.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 17 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range and an off-leash dog facility. Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County’s system. At 359.72 acres, it is the largest county park in Essex.
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