Planting Native Shrubs
By Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager
Viburnums and other shrubs inside the deer fence. © Ben Wurst
During Earth Week, I planted dozens of shrubs. Viburnum, bayberry, spirea, clethra, sumac, etc… They were planted inside Bass River State Forest in Bass River Township, Burlington County, NJ at a habitat enhancement site called Ballanger (pronounced Baaa-lan-ger) Creek. The project is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project is being managed by CWF and Duffield Associates, a environmental consulting firm that we hired to help us carry out the project.
The shrub planting was the first phase of this enhancement project. Approximately 1,500 shrubs were planted inside a deer exclusion fencing to help protect the shrubs from being browsed. Volunteers from the public, Bass River State Forest, and CWF came out and helped us plant all the shrubs. We had a great turn out for the event and I am thankful for all the help from all the volunteers!
A volunteer plants a native shrub at Ballanger Creek. © Ben Wurst
The second phase is the seeding of native wildflowers in an old field. The wildflowers will provide food to bees and butterflies in the form of nectar.
The final phase will be the enhancement of the freshwater wetland edge, where a lot of old fill and debris was dumped before the state acquired the property. The fill will be removed along with some exotic invasive species (Common reed) that have colonized the site. The project will be finalized after we install a series of educational interpretive signs that showcase our work and the site.
- Check out our work by visiting the site today!
Tags: 2010, Ballanger Creek, migratory birds