Salem Oak
Hopewell Township’s Salem Oak Seedling
The Salem Oak
Common Name: White Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus alba
Woolsey Park, Hopewell NJ
GPS Coordinates: 40.308198, -74.822789
The original Salem Oak is gone, but it will not be forgotten. A mighty giant, the original Salem Oak stood for over 500 years in Salem Township and fell on June 6, 2019. The Salem Oak exceeded the white oaks average age of 200 to 300 years. The tree was 103 feet tall, had a trunk circumference of 22 feet, and a crown that spanned 104 feet. The Salem Oak survived colonists' deforestation and was the only tree remaining from a forest that once covered the area. After the original Salem Oak tree fell, seedlings were offered to New Jersey townships. The Salem Oak installation at Woolsey park was initiated by Hopewell’s Nora Sirbaugh who was the environmental commission chair at the time, a master gardener, and someone who cares deeply about Hopewell residents and its ecological health. The Hopewell Township Environmental Commission, Department of Public Works, Committee Member Uma Purandare and Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning all worked together to make sure the Salem Oak was acquired, planted, protected, and cared for.
The original Salem Oak tree where it once
stood in the Salem Friends Burial Ground
You can find more information about the history of the Salem Oak by clicking below:
Top row left to right: James Gambino Jr., Vanessa Sandom, Andrew Plunkett, Uma Purandare, Courtney Peters-Manning, Carol Kleiss; Bottom row left to right: Nora Sirbaugh, Rex Parker