From the Morris County Commissioners:
Tree Planting Ceremony Commemorates Constitution Day
and 13 Original Colonies
In observance of Constitution Day and the nation’s 250th anniversary, 13 trees representing the original American colonies were planted Thursday at Central Park of Morris County during a ceremony attended by arborists, park officials and county officials.
The Grove of 13 planting was organized by the Morris County Park Commission and the New Jersey Arborists Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (NJAISA) and held on Sept. 17, the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The trees were planted near Central Park’s cross-country course and were donated and installed by Cerbo’s Hampton Nursery of Hampton Township, N.J.
Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw spoke about the significance of the planting and the county’s continued commitment to preserving open space and natural resources.
“It’s fitting that we’re planting 13 trees on Constitution Day as we celebrate our nation’s Semiquincentennial,” Shawsaid. “These 13 trees — one for each original colony — remind us of where our nation began and of our responsibility to think beyond our own lifetimes.”
View More Photos from the Grove of 13 Tree Planting Ceremony
The program also included representatives of the NJAISA: President Tom Purtell, Executive Director Joseph Greipp and Board Trustee Hans Hanbicki; NJ Tree Foundation Executive Director Pam Zipse; New Jersey Shade Tree Federation Executive Director Rich Wolowicz; Rutgers University John & Eleanor Kuser Endowed Faculty Scholar Jason Grabosky, Ph.D.; Morris County Park Commission Executive Director Dave Helmer; Park Commission Director of Park Maintenance & Natural Resource Management Kelli Kovacevic; and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Chief of Staff Henry Gajda.
Each tree species represents one of the original 13 colonies:
- Virginia (1607): Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica ‘Fire Starter’
- Massachusetts (1620): Patriot Elm, Ulmus x ‘Patriot’
- New Hampshire (1623): River Birch, Betula nigra ‘Heritage’
- New York (1624): Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum ‘Fall Fiesta’
- Maryland (1634): Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa
- Connecticut (1635): White Oak, Quercus alba
- Rhode Island (1636): Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera
- Delaware (1638): Redbud, Cercis canadensis
- New Jersey (1660): Dogwood, Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Princess’
- South Carolina (1663): Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora
- North Carolina (1663) : Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum
- Pennsylvania (1681): American Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis
- Georgia (1733): Willow Oak, Quercus phellos
“Today’s event is the culmination of a year’s worth of collaboration between the Park Commission and the NJAISA,” saidHelmer.
“I would like to thank the board and members of the NJAISA for selecting Central Park of Morris County for today’s Grove of 13 planting. The 13 trees planted today will be a defining symbol of the 250th anniversary of this country.”
As part of the 250th anniversary theme, Helmer also shared the historical connections behind several of the trees. The Eastern Redbud planted to represent Delaware, for example, was propagated from a tree at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Washington noted the beauty of redbuds in his diary and planted them along paths leading to his mansion. Attendees also received Black Gum tree seedlings to plant at home.
Shaw also announced the launch today of a new interactive online ArcGIS StoryMap, “Morris County & the Census,” created by the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation. The StoryMap traces the county’s population and community growth from the first federal census in 1790 through the present.
Morris County had 16,216 residents in the 1790 Census, when the county’s population was counted across five municipalities. Today, the county has 39 municipalities and a 2025 population estimate of 524,251 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“There may have been more trees per person back in 1790, but we have been working very hard to keep Morris County green,” Shaw said.
“Since 1994, the county commissioners (and former freeholders) have preserved more than 18,400 acres of open space through the Morris County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund. Our Park Commission also oversees more than 20,500 acres, giving residents plenty of room to enjoy nature.”
The Morris County Park Commission, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, oversees 20,520 acres of parkland, 39 recreational facilities and 265 miles of trails, making it the largest county park system in New Jersey.
Central Park of Morris County, dedicated in 2008, encompasses 420 acres and 11.7 miles of recreational trails. It is the third most visited park in the county system, drawing approximately 540,000 visitors annually.
The property demonstrates the long-term impact of open space preservation. In 1999, then-Sen. Anthony Bucco Sr. wrote to Gov. Christine Todd Whitman seeking support for preserving the property and making it part of the Morris County Park System. On Aug. 23, 1999, then-Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco signed legislation protecting the property from further development while allowing recreational and human services uses.
Following the preservation of the property, Freeholders John Murphy, Doug Cabana and Frank Druetzler supported efforts to establish the park. Subsequent County Commissioner Boards have continued to support the property’s recreational, natural-resource and human services uses.
Today, the Park Commission continues to invest in tree planting, forest management and natural-resource protection throughout its park system. At Central Park, 1,471 native trees and shrubs were planted in 2019 as part of a 3.9-acre riparian buffer along a tributary of the North Branch of the Whippany River.
The park is also home to Cherry Tree Lane, where 38 heritage cherry trees were planted from trees propagated from some of the original trees Japan donated to Washington, D.C., in 1912.
The Park Commission’s 2025 Forest Inventory and Resiliency Plan covers approximately 9,000 acres of forested parkland across eight parks, including Central Park, and will help identify locations for future reforestation and afforestation projects.
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