2 Princeton Forests Join National Old-Growth Forest Network

PRINCETON, NJ — Two Princeton forests have been added to a national network of protected old-growth woodlands, the Old-Growth Forest Network announced.

Subscribe

John Witherspoon Woods and the 153-Acre Wood were inducted into the network, becoming the sixth and seventh New Jersey forests to join the group, which now includes 325 protected, publicly accessible old-growth forests nationwide.

Brian Kane, the network's Mid-Atlantic regional manager, will present the distinction at a ceremony on April 20, to be attended by Princeton Open Space Manager Inga Reich, Anna Corichi of the Friends of Princeton Open Space, Patricia Shanley of the Ridgeview Conservancy and Jim Waltman of the Watershed Institute.

The 40-acre Witherspoon Woods is a mixed hardwood forest with red and white oak, tulip poplar, black cherry, red maple and beech trees, according to the network. Several tulip poplars measure more than six feet in diameter, and some oaks exceed 10 feet in diameter. The forest also contains a boulder field, rock outcrops and Devils Cave, a formation of diabase boulders created by a volcanic intrusion.

The 153-Acre Wood includes several stands that have not been logged for at least a century, with mature American beech, white oak and tulip poplar along the Beech Hollow Loop and a stand of mature hardwoods with a spicebush understory at the Red Oak Room. The forest also features a "boulder bench" of diabase rock dating to the supercontinent Pangaea roughly 200 million years ago, along with remnants of stone walls built by 19th-century farmers.

"Princeton is honored to have two of our forests included in the Old-Growth Forest Network — what a great way to acknowledge the importance of these natural resources for local wildlife and our own wellbeing," Reich said in a statement.

Wendy Mager, president of the Friends of Princeton Open Space, said the group is proud to serve as steward of John Witherspoon Woods through Princeton's Adopt-a-Park program and to defend it from invasive plants and pathogens such as beech leaf disease.

Shanley said the 153-Acre Wood was nearly lost to a 19-home development before being preserved through the efforts of citizens and public officials. ““The 153-Acre Wood shows what remarkable good can happen when a group of committed citizens and public officials rally for the voiceless,” Shanley said. She described the forest as habitat for rare species and a key link in Princeton's Emerald Necklace.

Waltman said old forests play a critical role in sustaining clean water, controlling stormwater runoff and providing wildlife habitat, and offer a refuge from the noise of modern life.

Founded in 2012, the Old-Growth Forest Network aims to protect at least one forest in every U.S. county capable of sustaining one. New Jersey has 21 counties, five of which now have a forest in the network. More information is available at oldgrowthforest.net.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com