PHOTOS: Bicentennial Space Shuttle Tree is "The Past and the Future" of Bloomfield (VIDEO)

A tiny tree, delicate, spiky and vibrantly green, stands in the middle of a white circular fence in the Town Green.  It is a very special tree.

The three-year-old Eastern White Pine was grown from a seed that traveled aboard the 1997 Space Shuttle Columbia.  On Friday, April 27, the tree was officially planted in a township Bicentennial ceremony.  Said Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy, who spoke at the ceremony, the planting of the tree not only coincided with Arbor Day but also, coincidentally, with the landing of the Enterprise space shuttle in New York City on Friday.

“I saw the shuttle over West New York this morning,” he said, beaming at the memory.  “The 747 flew down the middle of the Hudson River.  People were in awe.  People were hooting and hollering.  There were tears in their eyes.  It was amazing!”

The prototype shuttle Enterprise, flying atop a specially modified 747 jet, was on its way to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan. To McCarthy, it seemed serendipitous for the shuttle to arrive in New York on the same day the “space shuttle tree” was to be planted in Bloomfield.

“It’s a nice plus for us,” he said.  “We’re doing it on the same day that the shuttle flew over us.”

In fact, arriving that evening for the ceremony, residents and officials alike said the planting of the tree was a significant event in the history of Bloomfield.  McCarthy noted that Township Forester Stephen Schuckerman had won the seedling in a contest.

“My understanding is that a couple thousand communities requested them, and only about 100 got one,” he said proudly. 

Schuckerman explained why, and how, the fledgling tree came to call Bloomfield its home.

“In the 1980s, aboard Shuttle Columbia, White Pine seeds were flown as part of an experimental mission to determine the effects of weightlessness on tree germination,” said Schuckerman in a speech to the community.  “The seeds were returned to the NJ Forest Service in the city of Jackson [New Jersey] and germinated in those greenhouses.  Of note, White Pine seeds germinate on average in 10-14 days.  These seeds germinated in half that time.  Whether that’s a result of weightlessness I guess we’ll never know . . . but Bloomfield is honored to be a recipient of this tree.”

He noted that the tree would eventually reach a height of 100-140 feet and “will certainly outlive all of us.”

Recreation Department Director Michael Scuerman, addressing the community, said, "Today, Arbor Day, we plant this tree to honor our past and symbolize the hope we have for our future."

Township officials then tossed shovelfuls of dirt onto the area around the tree.  Afterwards, a plaque was unveiled that commemorated the event.

Bicentennial Committee Chair Janice Litterio agreed that the tree was an important symbol of the future of the town.

"It's the beginning of the next 200 years of our town," said Litterio cheerfully. "We're celebrating the history of our town and, into that, throwing in a little piece of history from outer space."