GC of Morristown Receives GCA Partners for Plants Grants to Restore Forest Destroyed by Beetles in Morristown, NJ

GCA Funds Purchase of Canopy and Understory Trees and Native Plants Help Restore Habitat at Foote’s Pond Park

October 08, 2025

By: Lina Di Blasio

The Garden Club of Morristown (GCM) has received two GCA Partners for Plants (P4P) grants to restore a devastated forest in Foote’s Pond Park, in Morristown, NJ.  The culprits were emerald ash borer beetles which destroyed the canopy of ash trees.  The lack of tree canopy increased sunlight on the forest floor and led to a proliferation of invasive plant species which displaced indigenous plants, essential sustenance for local pollinators and wildlife.  The P4P grants are helping GCM purchase native plants to restore the native hardwoods, shrubs and flowers.
 
The project began in the Fall of 2023, when GCM members, partnering with volunteers from Friends of Foote’s Pond Wood, removed the invasive species and sheet-mulched the area to create a “pocket forest”. The P4P grants will fund the planting of canopy and understory native trees and plants to restore several 200-square-foot deer-protected islands within the park. Native species may include black gum, flowering dogwood, and spicebush, as well as 21 different varieties of native flowering plants and grasses.  
 
GCM is committed to monitoring and managing the restored areas for signs of invasive species and will replant if required. As native plantings develop strong root systems and acclimate to their surroundings, monitoring needs will decline. GCM will continue to support Foote’s Pond Park by helping volunteers restore additional areas to further benefit people, plants, and pollinators.