A photograph of the Salem Oak Tree taken in October 1916.
Bedminster Township to
Plant Iconic Salem Oak Seedling
On June 1st, 2024, at 11:30 AM, the
Bedminster Township Environmental Commission will plant a seedling from the iconic
Salem Oak Tree, dedicated to the men and women who have served and those who
lost their lives for our freedom, at the site of the historic Jacobus Vanderveer
House during their Field of Honor ceremony. The Honorable Mayor Lawrence Jacobs
will present the seedling.
In celebration of its 50th birthday
and the 50th anniversary of America’s first Earth Day, the
Department of Environmental Protection gifted a prized seedling from the famed
Salem Oak to each of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities for planting on Arbor Day
2020. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the statewide celebration was canceled.
The
Environmental Commission took ownership of Bedminster’s seedling and has
nurtured it for three years.
The Salem Oak was one of New Jersey’s most celebrated
trees for its size, longevity, and history. The majestic oak was more than 100 feet tall with
a trunk circumference of approximately 22 feet. Its crown spanned 104 feet and
for more than 500 years stood in the historic city of Salem, New Jersey until
June 6, 2019, when the mighty oak suddenly collapsed. This oak was the sole surviving tree from the original forest-covered
land when John Fenwick founded Salem in 1675. According to legend, Fenwick met
with Lenni Lenape Native Americans under the oak’s branches and signed a peace
treaty acquiring the land.
Only months before the tree fell, foresters from the
DEP Forest Service’s Conservation program collected acorns at the base of the oak.
There was no evidence that the tree’s days were numbered. From those acorns,
nearly 1,200 seedlings sprouted and nurtured in the greenhouse at the New
Jersey Forest Service Nursery.
The loss of the beloved oak was deeply felt throughout
New Jersey and beyond. The seedling also represents
an important bridge connecting The Salem Oak’s past with New Jersey’s future by
helping to reduce the harmful effects of climate change.
The future is ours to protect.