Middletown WTC Memorial Garden Receives 9/11 Survivor Tree

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Tuesday morning, Middletown Township welcomed a clone produced from the original 9/11 Callery pear "survivor tree."

The Survivor Tree is a Callery pear tree that endured the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. Due to how damaged the Survivor Tree was, very few clones exist from its cuttings.

This is the first time the New York City Parks System has donated a clone to a municipality outside of New York City.

Middletown suffered the second most 9/11 losses after New York City.

The 15-foot tree will be planted at the Middletown WTC Memorial Garden in preparation for the 21st anniversary of 9/11, which will be this September, 2022.

The original Survivor Tree was discovered at Ground Zero a month after the tragedy, severely damaged with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of Richie Cabo, who was then the director of the NYC Parks Citywide Nursery (he is now retired).

He helped rehabilitate the pear tree at a nursery in the Bronx before it was returned to the National 9/11 Memorial in 2010.

Cabo then propagated the clones from six-inch cuttings of the Survivor Tree.

“They are truly the only clones,” said Cabo. “Other 9/11 saplings grown were from seeds collected from the Survivor Tree. The clones will be identical to the Survivor Tree, unlike the trees grown from its seeds, which result in varying characteristics and genetic traits,” he explained.

“Having a clone of the Survivor Tree is a unique and meaningful way to connect our communities through our shared grief and stands as a symbol of perseverance rooted in strength,” said Mayor Tony Perry. “This is a tremendous gift from NYC Parks that we will forever cherish.”

Middletown received the tree through Gal Lavid, head of building and parks maintenance for Middletown Township; Lavid previously worked for NYC Parks.

“Gal played a crucial role in working with NYC Parks to bring this rare tree to our Memorial Gardens, which will be a physical representation of beauty stemming from tragedy,” said Mayor Perry. “This will help honor the 37 residents we lost, and hopefully provide a sense of comfort and hope to their loved ones when they visit our Gardens.”

In 2021, to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens Committee installed new landscaping, lighting, a walkway of personalized bricks that lead to the memorial pathway, a first responder/military memorial, as well as a memorial for those we lost due to 9/11-related illnesses. Last year, the monument was dedicated to late Detective Lt. Joseph Capriotti, known as the “keeper of the list."

He personally notified every Middletown family who lost a loved one that day.