The September 11th Memorial Forest

This 240 acre forest was purchased by Wicomico County in 1997 using Program Open Space funds as part of the Pirates Wharf Park acquisition. It appears that at some time in the past the original ancient forest was removed and the land was cleared and ditched. It is likely that the cleared fields were abandoned around 1920 (give or take a few decades). Following abandonment tree seeds still existing in the soil, or carried in by animals, or blown in by the wind from surrounding forests, enabled a new forest to grow. Most likely, the new forest had the same species composition as the former forest but the trees were much younger. As the decades passed, however, the trees grew and the forest recovered. Today the forest consists of towering red oaks, white oaks, willow oaks, hickories, red maples, sweet gum, black gum, loblolly pine, and beech. Shorter trees include American holly, dogwood, sassafras, and serviceberry. Shrubs include blueberry, deer berry, huckleberry, and viburnum. There are many ferns and herbaceous plants (including gentian) that grow in the forest too. Many birds and animal species live in the forest as well. Turtles, frogs, and salamanders have all been found there. Unfortunately there has never been a complete biological inventory of the forest.

The forest is now almost 100 years old, and is one of only a few publicly accessible mature native forests in Wicomico County. The size and diversity of this forest makes it important ecologically. Much of it is forested wetland, and migratory birds take advantage of the food and fresh water it provides. Luckily it is publically owned parkland. Unfortunately, the County administration does not recognize its holistic ecological and recreational value and has plans to have it logged in some fashion.

In 2002, concerned with this situation, and attempting to forestall the logging, Dr. Joan Maloof dedicated the forest to the victims of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. She and a team of volunteers made tags with the names and ages of the approximately three thousand victims and tied them to three thousand trees in the forest. This story is told in Maloof’s book Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest. The United States Forest Service has the forest listed in their Living Memorials Project, which includes 9/11 forests throughout the nation.

Today, in Spring 2016, the forest still stands.

Joan Maloof, a professor emeritus at Salisbury University, is the founder and director of a national nonprofit, the Old-Growth Forest Network, and author of three books about forests.