Wyckoff Named a Tree City USA

The township can now be referred to by another name: Tree City USA.

Wyckoff has achieved the recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to caring for the township's greenery. Although the designation was achieved earlier this year, township representatives will soon be awarded a proclamation noting the honor, while plans are being finalized for the community's annual Arbor Day celebration.

Members of the Shade Tree Commission, which oversees trees in township right-of-ways, will head to Newark on Arbor Day, April 30, to be officially recognized as a Tree City USA. On May 1, the township will hold its Arbor Day celebration, which will be marked by the planting of trees throughout Wyckoff. Signs proclaiming Wyckoff's Tree City status should be in the ground in time for the celebration.

"The intention is to plant trees in and around the community," said Committeeman Kevin Rooney, liaison to the Shade Tree Commission. "There will be a considerable amount of trees planted," he said.

The planned trees will not come at any additional cost to the township. Rather, the newly created township tree fund will finance the bulk of the work, and the township will receive three willow trees donated by Landscape Works of Wyckoff.

"(The firm) has a commitment to the community," Rooney said, adding that the firm's president, Nelson Lee, "more than graciously said yes" when asked to support the Arbor Day celebration.

Lee, a Franklin Lakes resident, said his firm has donated Arbor Day plantings for the past several years and is looking forward to this year's celebration.

"It's going to be exciting."

As the head of a local business, he agreed that Landscape Works has a vested interest in keeping Wyckoff green.

"We're pretty tied to the town. We try to do as much as we can," Lee said.

He said the willow trees, which he estimated to be worth approximately $2,000, including installation, can grow as tall as 35 to 40 feet.

The willow trees will be planted at Zabriskie Pond, where the township's observance will largely take place. The public is invited to the celebration, beginning at 9 a.m., although plans are still taking shape on plantings throughout the community. The celebration will commence at the Wyckoff Avenue/Main Street intersection, with a procession to Zabriskie Pond. Additionally, Scouts are expected to be planting flowers, and educational literature will be available for residents.

Shade Tree Commission Chairman Mark Borst and Environmental Commission Chairman Brian Bigler encourage residents to plant their own trees to celebrate Arbor Day, as well.  They offer the following tips for tree planting:

• Dig the hole two to three times the width of the root ball, and do not dig deeper than the depth of the root ball;
• Soak the roots for a few hours prior to planting;
• Completely remove containers and cut through any circling roots;
• Gently place the tree in the hole; partially backfill with soil from the hole, water, and then finishing backfilling.

Rooney said the township is still conferring with the utility companies to determine the exact placement of trees around Arbor Day, but plantings will focus on the "front-door" of Wyckoff—main roads, such as Wyckoff, Franklin and Godwin avenues. The committeeman, a licensed arborist and certified tree expert, has said the tree fund will initially be used to beautify the main approaches into the township before money will be utilized to plant new trees on side streets.

The tree fund was created earlier this year after Barrister Home Construction, the developer of the Deep Brook home project, donated almost $16,000 to the township in lieu of offering a fixed set of trees as a condition of the Planning Board's approval of the project more than two years ago. The creation of the fund, which came out of Shade Tree meetings with the township administration,  has been said to give the township flexibility toward creating a greater tree canopy.

The fund is intended as a living trust, enabling the township to plant trees annually. The Shade Tree Commission also would welcome residents' help in that regard. Should residents wish to donate any money to the tree fund, they can contact Elaine Booth, Shade Tree secretary, at 201-891-7000, ext. 104.