Middletown Encourages Native Tree Planting with Tree Search

Visitors to the Detective Christopher Jones Memorial Park may have noticed that there’s something special about the trees along the park’s nature path.

Some of them happen to be numbered, and for good reason, as each one is a native tree of Pennsylvania.

“We encourage people to plant native plants,” Debby Lamanna, Middletown Township Parks and Recreation director said. “They do better and don’t require much fertilizer, because they are already acclimated to the climate.”

According to Lamanna, the township’s Environmental Advisory Council committed the township to planting native trees and improving the township’s ecology. During the development stages of the Detective Christopher Jones Memorial Park, located at the corner of W. Maple and Beechwood avenues, the township took the opportunity to make learning about native trees fun for everyone.

Lamanna added that Middletown residents love the township’s green space, and wanted the township to make the existing trees a focus of the park’s development.

Prior to working with Middletown Township, Lamanna was with the Freedom Vallye Girl Scouts. During her tenure with the Girl Scouts, Lamanna recounts how many camping or field trips to the woods would involve a fun scavenger hunt, of sorts.

The scouts would go out with a list of native trees, and try to identify them by sight. During the development of Detective Christopher Jones Memorial Park, this Native Tree Search was brought to the park.

As visitors enter the nature pathway, they’ll be greeted by a large sign, explaining how the Native Tree Search works.

The sign shows 12 examples of native trees that could be found throughout the park. Along the nature trail, certain trees have numbers fastened to the bark. Those participating in the native tree search can check to see if they identified the numbered tree correctly by visiting www.middletowntwpbucks.org, and downloading the Detective Christopher Jones Memorial Tree Search answer key.

“I thought, ‘wouldn’t that be fun for residents and families,’” Lamanna said, about the Native Tree search. “And, it’s a great way to adopt the trees.”

Lamanna explained, in addition to a teaching opportunity, the park’s Native Tree Search also encourages homeowners to consider purchasing native trees. She said most tree nurseries only show saplings, and that the Native Tree Search at the park will be able to see a fully grown native tree.

For more information, visit www.middletowntwpbucks.org.