Vineland Park Benefits from Volunteer Maintenance

On Saturday, April 14, nearly a dozen volunteers turned out to help fix tree tubes and remove invasive Japanese honey suckle at Giampietro Memorial Park in Vineland, NJ.

The maintenance day was hosted by the American Littoral Society and Vineland Environmental Commission as a follow up to work done in the spring of 2019.

Initial work was done with the help of the Vineland Environmental Commission, Vineland High School Environmental Club, and the Littoral Society's South Jersey Restoration Corps. It featured planting of approximately 1,200 trees and shrubs across 4 acres.

That project was designed to help restore what's known as a riparian buffer along Cedar Branch, a tributary to the Menantico Creek, that regularly floods the park. As the trees and shrubs mature, they will help to slow the flow of water and reduce flooding.

​

Continuing to maintain the project is important to ensure it’s long term success. Tree tubes and stakes need to be straightened so that the trees continue to grow upright and are protected from deer browse.

Invasive species, like Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose, need to be removed before they overtake the new plants. In general, this maintenance is required for the first five years of a project, until the trees grow large enough to withstand deer browse and shade out competing species.

This project was funded by the William Penn Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Roots for Rivers Grant program.