To the Editor:
A little over a month ago, we wrote a letter telling residents about plans for a microforest to be planted this fall in Quarry Park [“Looking for Volunteers for Upcoming Princeton Microforest Planting Project,” Mailbox, September 3].
On Friday and Saturday, October 3 and 4, those plans were realized. Thanks to a veritable army of volunteers, over 1,300 native trees and shrubs were sorted, placed in carefully designed plots, and planted. Over 100 people worked tirelessly under an unexpectedly hot October sun to get everything in the ground, and then to hand-carry water in buckets and watering cans to every seedling to help ensure their survival.
In addition to our volunteers, we owe thanks to the local media, who provided great publicity for the project, the mayor and Council for supporting the project, and our municipal employees Inga Reich and Taylor Sapudar who supervised the site preparation, fencing, and ordering and delivering the plants to the site for the volunteers to sort and plant. A number of Princeton organizations, including the Recreation Commission, Shade Tree Commission, Environmental Commission, Sustainable Princeton, and Housing Authority, should also be recognized for their partnership that led to the success of the project.
While the planting is done, the microforest will need ongoing care for the next three years, with both weeding and watering. Whether or not you participated in the planting days, there will still be much volunteer help needed in the future. And we urge all residents to stop by Quarry Park and admire the handiwork of the Princeton community. It was a great chance to celebrate our community spirit, and we’d like to thank everyone involved in the project for their hard work and dedication. We hope those who planted will have a chance to return over the next few years to watch their plantings grow into trees, sequestering carbon, trapping and filtering rainwater, providing shade and habitat for a variety of birds, insects, and other wildlife. Truely, to plant a tree is to believe in the future.