“And many strokes, though with a little axe, hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak.” This line from Shakespeare’s King Henry VI, Part 3, refers to how even the mightiest tree can be worn down by persistent effort. Bacterial Leaf Scorch (BLS) is the little axe attacking our oaks. Periods of drought exacerbate the infection and spread of this systemic disease caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which invades the xylem (water and nutrient-conducting tissues) of susceptible trees. Along the path leading past the ice house to Mercer street, our “oak alley,” has suffered a couple of losses - although they might not all be attributable to BLS. We continue to monitor the most majestic of our heritage trees. However, as we grapple with these losses, we find some silver linings in our arboricultural practices to demonstrate to park visitors.

Let’s start with a fallen giant, a white oak that was lost in a storm a number of years ago. Taylor Sapudar, Princeton’s municipal arborist, saved a slice of tree rings which was analyzed by Daniel Druckenberg, PhD. of Rider University. Using dendrochronology, he dated our oak to 1766 - it started its long life under the British crown! You can read more about it in this blog post.

Along the path you may have noticed an obviously dead tree, a red oak, we have left deliberately standing. Called a snag, this tree remains upright and is allowed to decompose naturally. It provides a habitat for birds, insects, fungi and other wildlife such as bats.Taylor Sapuder’s infographic from the Mayor’s newsletter a few years ago clarifies this approach.

In addition to municipal park staff, Todd Pearson of Forest Glenn Arborists provides care for our trees. He is working with us and the town to make sure the snag of the red oak decomposes safely, stating, "Leaving a dead tree trunk standing transforms loss into life — it becomes a shelter for birds, insects, and small mammals, turning decay into a thriving wildlife habitat." The plan is to implement a coronet cut, a series of jagged cuts which will encourage nesting birds by mimicking natural breakage and promote ecological benefits. Several vertical pockets will be created for nesting bats and birds. In addition they will cut two nesting boxes into the snag for owls or other larger birds.

During one of their quarterly inspections, arborists noticed a large shear crack in a huge black oak. As this was one of our treasured large oaks, we decided it merited an intervention. This will give it a few more years, maybe decades, of life. Todd and his crew thinned the crown taking weight off the strained limbs. Then they installed screw rods to hold the tree together. They will slowly tighten the screws - like braces! Eventually the split will heal. Todd explains, "When we install screw rods into a split tree, we’re not just putting in hardware — we’re giving that tree a second chance. The rods will help hold the trunk together so it doesn’t tear apart under stress, and that means we keep the tree safe, the park protected, and ourselves out of harm’s way."

Although our proud oaks are suffering we are doing all we can to keep them healthy. If they do die we aim to make them a part of the landscape and gain a deeper understanding of the history of the park.

Read here all about our busy year at Marquand Park!

On July 12th we held our first ever: summer event for children, Made in the Shade. As expected, it was a sultry summer day; perfect for exploring our shady native woods and compare the temperature in the sun and on the paths under our century old trees. What surprised us was the number of families who turned out! We had quite a crowd of visitors, many who knew the park well and others who had never experienced the magic of Marquand Park before.

We had several activities going: kids enjoyed making sun prints with cyanotype paper. We had a tree themed story time, while in the woods, we played tree Bingo. Also included was a visit to the Ice House where families could cool off while learning about this historic structure.

The attendees received coloring books, custom made for the park by Lucia Timberlake. It features line drawings of notable trees and themes for children to color and a word finding game. The last page noted the latin names of all the trees so older children could find botanical names. Everyone loved them!

We hope many of the families will return in the fall for OAKtober on October 18th. Thanks to all the board members who helped out and Gianna Timberlake who pitched in with the activities.

30 years ago Thanksgiving Day, Chuck Moni and his then 3 year old son, Tyler went out to play football at Marquand Park. The next year, thirty or so friends joined them and the Gentleman’s Football Club was born.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2024, a freezing, rainy morning when the players paused their game. Bill Rogers presented a generous donation check to Emily Reeves, a Marquand Park Board Member. A few years ago they made a donation to help build the Children’s arboretum.

Bobby Hackett, the team's "commissioner" sends out an email each week beginning the week after Labor Day through at least Memorial Day (though often well into June). Every email mentions their "Beloved Marquand Park"...it's a very special place for them. The players also knew each other from Princeton little league baseball and other sports teams. This year they also donated to Princeton High School Football team where one of the team coaches, Steve Hennessy coaches.

Over the years two generations have come together to gather at the park, play some football and have some food together. These are the stories we love about Marquand Park, it shows a little of the magic of Marquand.