By Anne Levin
Of all of the parks that make up Princeton’s Greater Mountain Lakes Natural Area, Community Park North (CPN) is in the unhealthiest shape. Decades of “deer browse,” and the straight-line method in which many of the Norway spruce and Eastern white pines were planted, have taken their toll on the 45-acre expanse.
But a grant to amend the situation has been obtained by the Municipality, with the support of Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS). On July 15, the firm of Clarke Moynihan started work to kick off the Natural Climate Solutions project at the park. The goal is to rehabilitate the degraded woodland.
According to a press release from FOPOS, the $552,000 grant was awarded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2023 under a program funded by the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The project will be supported by over $110,000 of contributions by FOPOS in the form of 600 hours of the time of its Director of Natural Resources and Stewardship, Anna Corichi; 640 hours of paid intern time; almost 2,500 hours of work by board and community volunteers; and $2,500 towards any necessary repairs of a deer exclusion fence. (The FOPOS contribution is actually substantially larger, since both paid and volunteer hours were valued as of 2022.)
The process will remove invasive species and replace the many dying and dead Norway spruce and Eastern white pines with nearly 5,000 healthy native trees and shrubs, to be protected from deer by fencing and caging until they are well established. The Clarke Moynihan firm, which is based in Andover, has begun clearing the area. This portion of the work should last till the end of October. Until then, trails in Community Park North — except Pettoranello Gardens — will be closed.
“Community Park North is just across Route 206 from central Princeton, including the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood,” said Wendy Mager, president of FOPOS. “It is a gateway, of sorts, for people coming from the east. But sadly, of the various parks that comprise what we call the Greater Mountain Lakes Natural Area, it is probably in the worst shape. That’s because the trees, for some reason, were all planted in straight rows, probably in the sixties. They’re old, and the lower branches have lost their needles. Many of them have fallen down in storms, too.”
The proliferation of deer in the area doesn’t help. “It means that new saplings repeatedly get browsed, so the forest can’t regenerate itself,” Mager said.
FOPOS collaborated with the Municipality on the grant application, hiring a forestry expert to perform required complex calculations of how the project will increase carbon sequestration, which counteracts the effects of releasing greenhouse gases. Corichi, who has a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies, supervised FOPOS interns, who collected field data for the experts’ use, assisted by Hunter College/CUNY professor Randye Rutberg, who holds a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science. FOPOS also provided input on various other aspects of the grant application, including the species to be planted.
Other projected benefits of the project are stabilization of stream banks, increased absorption of stormwater runoff, enhancing climate resilience of the forest, and enhancing habitat connectivity. FOPOS will be manually removing invasive species and planting native species along the stream banks. This supports the State’s Wildlife Action Plan by creating food, shelter, and habitat for wildlife species of greatest concern.
“Transforming this almost apocalyptic-looking site into one of resilience and ecological health is no small undertaking,” said Corichi. “The addition of 5,000 native trees and shrubs will provide lasting benefits for wildlife and the climate. Just as important, this project offers opportunities for community-led stewardship and environmental education, right in the heart of Princeton.”
To volunteer with FOPOS, visit fopos.org/getinvolved.