Bicentennial Tree to be Planted Friday from Space Shuttle Seedling

A seed that traveled aboard the 1997 space shuttle Columbia will one day be a tree in Bloomfield Township, in honor of the 2012 Bicentennial.

On Friday, April 27, the Bicentennial Tree will be planted from an Eastern White Pine seedling, which was grown from seeds that traveled aboard the space shuttle Columbia on April 4, 1997.  It is hard to imagine a more unique living tribute to Bloomfield’s 200th birthday.

The event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Town Green at Broad Street and Liberty Street, across from the Bloomfield Civic Center, 84 Broad Street.  It will be the latest commemorative event in the year-long Bicentennial celebration.

The tree was provided through the 86th Annual NJ Shade Tree Federation Conference. Seeds from the New Jersey Forestry Tree Nursery were provided for the space shuttle flight, traveling at 17,500 mph for a distance of 1.5 million miles. The seeds germinated in half of the normal 10-14 day rate for these trees, in what the Federation believes to be the first effort to have tree seeds experience the weightlessness of space. The tree is currently being cared for at the New Jersey Community Forestry's Greenhouse in Jackson, New Jersey.

This event is part of the Bloomfield Bicentennial events schedule that began with a heralded Opening Ceremony on March 23, which marked 200 years to the day of the town's incorporation. Future events include an old fashioned picnic, concert series, historical presentations/ tours and more.

A list of event dates and details, information on sponsorship, merchandise, donation and volunteer opportunities are available at www.bloomfieldbicentennial.com or by request via email at info@bloomfieldbicentennial.com.