By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Although billions of trees are being lost globally through deforestation and development, Sea Isle City is doing its part to add some green to the Earth.
The resort town, known primarily for its beaches and bays, is beautifying the main entrance into town with a whole new crop of trees that will add lush green scenery and bright pink blossoms when they are in bloom over the summer.
Altogether, 38 crepe myrtles line the John F. Kennedy Boulevard corridor to create an inviting gateway that will give visitors and residents alike much to marvel over as they drive or walk between the bay and beaches along a four-block stretch of town.
The community formally dedicated the newly planted trees Friday afternoon during an Arbor Day celebration that included the reading of poems as well as remarks by Sea Isle officials who stressed the importance of protecting the environment.
“On Arbor Day, it is very important to emphasize the value of trees. Trees are a precious resource because they provide clean air to breath, they absorb sound, and they help filter water so we have clean water to drink,” said Mike McHale, a former Sea Isle mayor who served as master of ceremonies for the event outside the city’s Welcome Center.
The first Arbor Day was founded in 1872 in Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton, a newspaper editor who served as President Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of Agriculture. On the first Arbor Day on April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska.
Reflecting on the 150-year history of Arbor Day, McHale noted that the event celebrates not only the planting of trees, but also the “planting of ideas.”
“It’s up to us to care for what nature has given us,” McHale said, while sadly pointing out the huge loss of so many trees globally through deforestation and overdevelopment.
The Arbor Day celebration was done in collaboration between the municipal government, Sea Isle’s Environmental Commission, the Garden Club, the Beautification Committee, the Historical Society, the Shade Tree Committee and the Green Team.
McHale said the tree-planting program reflected the city’s community spirit – all with the goal of preserving and protecting the environment and beautifying the town.
“We have a beautiful community,” McHale said. “We are blessed to have so many people help out.”
After thanking all of the local organizations that are involved with Sea Isle’s eco-friendly programs, Mayor Leonard Desiderio read a city proclamation that described the environmental and economic benefits of having so many trees in town.
“Trees, wherever planted, are a source of joy and renewal,” Desiderio said.
Desiderio urged homeowners to plant more trees in their gardens to add to the vitality and beauty of the city.
Also during the ceremony, Ron Kovatis, president of the Sea Isle City Historical Society and Museum, took to the podium to recite Joyce Kilmer’s classic 1914 poem “Trees.”
Audience members smiled as Kovatis spoke the poem’s stirring opening lines, “I think that I shall never see … A poem lovely as a tree.”
Kilmer, an American poet, was killed while serving with the U.S. military during World War I. Kovatis said millions of trees were destroyed in the carnage of World War I. He lamented that millions of more trees are being lost during Russia’s invasion of war-torn Ukraine.
As part of the Arbor Day celebration, Sea Isle gave out 250 tree seedlings in its efforts to add even more green throughout the city.
The seedlings were donated by the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign, a division of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. They included bald cypress, Cornelian cherry, dogwood and bayberry trees.
In addition, the Environmental Commission is preparing to hold its annual tree raffle, which will include 30 full-size trees given away to local property owners for free on June 4 during Sea Isle’s Green Fair/Art Fair.
“It’s planted for you, and all you have to do is water it,” Environmental Commission Chairwoman Annette Lombardo said of the ease of care for property owners who win the tree raffle.
A donation from the Environmental Commission paid for the 38 crepe myrtles that now dress up the JFK Boulevard entryway.
Previously, the city experimented with trident maples and sweetbay magnolias to beautify the JFK Boulevard gateway. However, they fared poorly in the shore’s salty and windy environment. Many of them died off or were reduced to scraggly, leafless skeletons – hardly leaving a good first impression on visitors arriving in Sea Isle.
In a bit of whimsy, Sea Isle replaced the maples and magnolias last summer with 40 palm trees. With their vibrant green fronds swaying in the breezes during the summer, they created a tropical-like setting reminiscent of Florida or the Caribbean islands.
Desiderio made it clear when the delicate palm trees were planted just before the Memorial Day weekend that they were only a temporary way to spruce up the JFK Boulevard entranceway and likely would not survive the winter. Predictably, the palm trees died in the cold weather.
However, crepe myrtles are considered a hardier tree that should be able to survive the gusty winds and salt air at the shore. They can be found in many private gardens at homes around town, underscoring their history of doing well on the barrier island.
In a few weeks, the crepe myrtles along JFK Boulevard are expected to sprout their green canopy and pink blossoms.
“Let’s hope and pray that they survive,” McHale said.
