The Princeton Council awarded a contract for $566,153 to a landscaping company to recreate a forest in a section of Community Park North.
Clarke Moynihan Landscaping and Construction LLC, which was one of two bidders for the job, was awarded the contract at the Princeton Council’s April 14 meeting.
The reforestation project is being funded by a $552,000 Natural Climate Solutions grant, plus additional funding from the town. Princeton applied for the grant in partnership with the Friends of Princeton Open Space.
The purpose of the grant is to restore 40 acres of forest at Community Park North, which is a 71.5-acre park. It located east of the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes nature preserve and south of the fields of the historic Tusculum estate, officials said.
The goal of the project is to reestablish a native forest with resilient native plants in a degraded forest area, according to a memorandum from Open Space Manager Inge Reich.
Community Park North was planted in the 20th century with rows of Norway spruce, which is not a native tree, and Eastern white pine. Both species are vulnerable to climate change, Reich said.
Much of the forest has been blown down in major storms. Non-native invasive species have taken hold and suppressed native plant regeneration.
The project will be carried out in stages, starting with the removal of debris and invasive species. Removing the invasive plants will help prevent their spread to the Mountain Lakes preserve and other adjacent parks.
When that phase of the project has been completed, more than 2,500 trees and shrubs will be planted. Deer fencing and tree and shrub cages will be installed to deter deer from browsing and eating the plants.
The new plants will make the forest more resilient to climate change, and also provide a better habitat for birds and other animals, Reich said. It will also create a better aesthetic experience for park users.
The work will be done by the contractor and volunteers from the Friends of Princeton Open Space. The contractor is responsible for clearing the site and buying the deer fencing, tree and shrub cages, and the trees and shrubs.
Community Park North is part of the greater Mountain Lakes recreation area, which is made up of nearly 400 acres of preserved open space and farmland. It includes a trail network maintained by the town and the Friends of Princeton Open Space.
