A seedling from one of the oldest and largest trees in New Jersey is now growing at Veterans Memorial Park in Ocean City. Representatives of Ocean City’s Shade Tree Commission and Public Works team members helped plant the seedling and protect it with split-rail fencing.
For more than 500 years, the “Salem Oak” stood in the historic city of Salem, N.J. The majestic white oak was more than 100 feet tall with a trunk circumference of approximately 22 feet and its crown spanning 104 feet. Its age exceeded the lifespan of most white oaks, which typically live 200 to 300 years. It was the sole surviving tree from the original forest that covered the land when Quaker John Fenwick, founder of Salem, first arrived at New Jersey in 1675. According to legend, Fenwick met with the Lenni Lenape and signed a peace treaty under the oak’s branches.
The “Salem Oak” fell to the ground in 2019, but foresters in the state Forest Service had already collected acorns from the iconic tree. From them, nearly 1,200 seedlings sprouted and were nurtured in the greenhouse at the New Jersey Forest Service Nursery in Jackson Township. The state Department of Environmental Protection is making the seedlings available to each of New Jersey’s municipalities.
The seedling 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 DEP says.
“It’s an honor to have a piece of living history here in Ocean City, and I hope the new tree long outlives us all,” Mayor Jay Gillian said.
The city plans to have an informational sign made to place at the site.
