Manalapan Receives 9/11 Survivor Tree

Very few trees survived the collapse of the Twin Towers at Ground Zero.  A handful of them were found under the rubble during clean up, removed, and relocated by the US Forest Service (USFS).  The mother trees, and their offspring, have since come to be known as “survivor trees” or "witness trees".

Manalapan Township Mayor Andrew Lucas led a dedication of the Witness Tree before the candlelight vigil on Sunday, Sept. 11 within the township arboretum.

Manalapan Township Shade Tree Committee President Beth Ann Fazlibegu, Vice-president Joanne Guerron, and other committee members were active in acquiring the tree, and present at the dedication ceremony.

Mike D’Errico, Supervising Forester of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) - Division of Parks & Forestry worked closely with the Shade Tree in obtaining the tree. D’Errico was present at the dedication ceremony and said a few words about the background of the tree, explaining that several Callery pear trees were planted when the World Trade Center was being constructed.

“Ten years ago, the trees were involved in the event and subsequently were discovered buried and crushed by a lot of the debris from the falling towers,” D’Errico said. “One of the trees, a Callery pear, was rescued and moved off site to Van Cortland Park, a city park, and tried to be nursed back, and now this Witness Tree has now been moved back to the site [at Ground Zero].”

Callery pears are not ordinarily capable of withstanding an impact of the magnitude of the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, and tend to be a bit fragile and prone to breakage, according to Larry Ragonese, Press Director of the NJDEP.

The Callery pear is a type of tree where a new tree can be produced from planting a cutting, or splice, of that tree. The City of New York and the Federal Forester asked the NJDEP - Division of Parks & Forestry if they were interested in taking cuttings from the survivor tree, D’Errico said. Under a grant provided by USFS, the NJDEP received 3-inch cuttings from the Callery pear Witness Tree. Ragonese said the grant offered the possibility to grow survivor offspring.

The NJDEP nourished and grew the cuttings in its green house at the Community Forestry Center in Jackson.  It’s had only three successes so far. “The potential for reproduction was limited,” Ragonese said. 

The goal of growing the survivor trees is to create a living memorial. “We’ve taken something from almost nothing,” Ragonese said. “It’s a remarkable achievement that allows people to feel great hope.”

Manalapan is one of very few towns to receive a Callery pear tree that was grown from a splice of the Witness Tree. Manalapan’s survivor tree is about three feet tall and still requires a lot of care. While the tree may seem small now, D’Errico said that within a year it will be “over all of our heads.”

Although the NJDEP has had only limited success in growing survivor trees, it is happy to share with Manalapan. “We know folks in Manalapan will take good care to foster the tree,” Ragonese said. NJDEP’s other two survivor trees will remain at the nursery in Jackson. 

“Trees are about living. We like to think of trees as a sign of a living memorial to those that perished during that event,” D’Errico said.

Pastor Mike of ended the ceremony by blessing the living memorial.