AmeriCorps organizes reforestation

LAFAYETTE — The SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group recently organized a streamside reforestation work day for the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors on property owned by the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority along Route 206.
As part of the event, watershed ambassadors from throughout New Jersey travelled to Sussex County to learn about the benefits of planting trees along streams and how to plan similar water quality improvement projects in the communities that they serve. In total, the group planted and protected 500 trees and shrubs along a tributary to the Paulins Kill River, successfully expanding the reforestation corridor onto a new piece of property.
Since 2012, the SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group and The Nature Conservancy have worked alongside numerous governmental and local conservation partners to implement the Paulins Kill reforestation project, which has resulted in the planting of over 13,000 trees throughout a continuous four-mile section of the Upper Paulins Kill. Over time, the native trees and shrubs planted along the stream bank and adjacent floodplain will provide canopy cover to cool the water, a root system to stabilize the stream bank and filter pollutants, and a supply of food and habitat for a variety of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
To would like to assist with the Paulins Kill reforestation effort or volunteer at another Wallkill River Watershed Management Group project location, please contact Kristine Rogers at krogers@scmua.org.