The featured image (above) is of Linden Allée in June.

Trails & Trees

You will notice that the design of Grover Cleveland Park has many features made famous by Frederick Law Olmsted. As noted in the book: “Illustrated Highlights of a Century: Grover Cleveland Park, 1913 -2013” by Richard Cummings and Warren Marchioni, his park designs feature rolling landscapes, curving drives, great lawns, dedicated recreation areas and a variety of water themes in the form of lakes, streams and fountains.

Grover Cleveland Park Linden Allee

Linden Allée

Like many European parks and gardens, Olmsted often included a grand allée bordered by trees. Our park has Linden Allée which is a straight path bordered by American Linden Trees along the Upper Path.

Olmsted believed that as you turn a corner, a new vista opens to delight your walk through the park.

At the end of Linden Allée, the Conservancy has planted 3 white Dogwood trees, and on the opposite side of the path, 3 pink Dogwood trees.

Trail Refurbishment

Trustees developed plans to refurbish trails that have become overgrown and unused. Trails were refurbished with the help of volunteers from local companies as well as from Caldwell University.

In addition to the paved pathways through the park, there are trails that go through the woods. Some go through the deeper woods and are very steep, some are easy walking trails.

Plant a Tree

Trees

The trees in our park are over 100 years old and are in their declining years. Beginning in 2016, the Conservancy embarked on a program to replace the older, dying trees and choosing trees that will not succumb to some of the pests and diseases that have affected many. In addition, we are purchasing trees that are native to New Jersey.

The scale of the issue is large and increasing — in the last 4 years, 25-30 trees have fallen annually. The 2017 March snowstorms felled 25 additional trees. Those numbers do not include the limbs and large branches that fell under the weight of the snow or from windstorms.

New Tree Plantings

In keeping with our mission, the Conservancy purchases and plants new trees, bushes and flowers in the park.

The Conservancy has embarked on a program to replace the older, dying trees and choosing trees that will not succumb to some of the pests and diseases that have affected many. We try to purchase trees that are native to New Jersey.

Give a Commemorative Tree

The trees that the Conservancy is purchasing are planted in many areas of the park. We invite you to help defray the cost of purchase, transportation, planting of these new specimens through the Conservancy’s Commemorative Tree program.

The price to adopt a tree is the wholesale price that the Conservancy pays, and it includes the cost of planting, mulching, staking, and arbor tying each tree. The trees are purchased from the Plant Detectives, purveyors of fine nursery stock, and are planted by the NJ Tree Foundation. During the year, they are watered by our volunteers to ensure they survive during hot, dry weather.

Won’t you adopt a tree so the Conservancy can continue to replace our dying and declining trees?

Recent Tree Plantings
  • 8 Black Tupelo trees near the tennis courts

  • 8 Linden trees in Linden Allée replacing trees that have died or have been destroyed in storms

  • 6 Flowering Crabapple at the Westville entrance and the Gould Place entrance

  • 5 White and 3 Pink Dogwood trees at the end of Linden Allée to provide a spot of color and interest

  • 4 Holly trees in the triangle by the Bowers Road entrance and the Buttonwood Parking Lot to add color and interest and prevent additional soil erosion and a winter food source for local birds

  • 4 Serviceberry bushes at the Gould and Buttonwood entrances

  • 2 Sugar Maples along the path by the Pond House Field

  • 2 Weeping Higan Cherry and 1 Kwanzan and 1 Yoshino Cherry along the brook

  • 1 Green Hawthorn near the path along Brookside

Corporate volunteers spending a day working in the park.

One of the 50 Cherry Trees that were purchased and planted by the Conservancy along Pine Brook.

Trees

Sugar Maples show off their fall foliage.