The Dumont Shade Tree Arboretum Story:
Bench Near Corkscrew Willow 
The Dumont Shade Tree Arboretum is approx. 800 feet long and 16 feet wide, and runs along West Shore Avenue in Dumont, New Jersey. Planting a tree (or two) was just the beginning!
Dumont has been a “Tree City USA” since 2006.
The Arboretum was established in 2009.
In 2009, the New Jersey Community Forestry Program provided funding to establish the Arboretum as a “Show and Tell” for trees in our suburban environment.
Our Arboretum was formally established by the Dumont Shade Tree Commission at the 2009 Dumont Arbor Day festivities, in a special celebration to plant 15 trees and a Flag Pole near the south end at Madison Avenue.
ARBORETUM DEVELOPMENT:
The original 15 trees were grouped in 2009 according to the mature height of the species, SMALL (under 25′), MEDIUM (25′ to 50′) and LARGE (over 50′). The Flagpole is 25′ tall, so that residents can visualize the trees of the future years… Many years will pass before the trees will reach their fully mature heights. Please read more on our TREE tab.
In 2011, the Arboretum was further developed through a NJ Department of Transportation Grant, which included the walkway, a Gazebo, and various site furnishings.
Please visit our GAZEBO page for fun and interesting event photos… Arbor Day, Earth Day and “Twilight at the Gazebo.”
Please visit our “Natural Bench” page for this hand crafted bench placed near the north gardens.
The 11 garden beds along the pathway, including the Butterfly Gardens, are donated and maintained by the Garden Committee.
“FRIENDS OF THE SHADE TREE”:
In 2012 the Friends of the Shade Tree was established to further develop the Arboretum and related activities. As a 501c3 organization and registered NJ Charity, all donations to the Friends are tax deductible.
Please visit our MEMBERSHIP and SUPPORT tabs… join in our fun activities (and help support this website)!
The Scholarship Committee hosts Wreathmaking Events in December. These funds have supported one or more scholarships for a Dumont High School Senior since inception. Please join us next year… watch out on our Facebook site and on this website for updates.
SCOUTS:
Please visit our
Arboretum Water Feature page for information regarding this Eagle Scout Project by Rex Harvilla.
Please visit our
“Bat House” page for this Eagle Scout Project by Patrick Harrison.
The Dumont Boy Scout Troops have conducted a Flag Raising Ceremony at Arbor Day, every year starting 2006.
In 2012 the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts was commemorated. Look for this stone near the Gazebo today.
Daisy, Brownie and Girl Scouts have participated in educational and gardening events, including Earth Day, planting fall bulbs for spring flowers, and the Save the Monarchs Event.
Signage in the Arboretum is linked to this website through QR Codes. Read about the trees on our Tree Tab, or go visit them and read on your cell phone!
In 2014 a Signage Project was conceived, and after several years of photography in the Arboretum, the TREES tab on this website was launched. Each Tree in the Arboretum has been identified and photographed. We are in the process of planting signage posts for the trees, with a generous grant from Mariners Bank. The signs include a QR Code connecting smart phones to the information on that particular tree, along with a diagram of the tree shape and size in relation to a typical Dumont house and the level of utility wires.
CERTIFIED WILDLIFE SANCTUARY & “SAVE THE MONARCHS”:
Pollinators 
Butterfly Garden in Bed #9 
In 2017 the Arboretum was declared a Certified Wildlife Sanctuary by the Bergen County Audubon Society. The Friends volunteer Garden Committee, spent many hours planting butterfly friendly perennials, cataloged the trees and provided the requirements for certification.
“Save the Monarchs” began the first event in the spring of 2021. The Garden Committee, Daisy Troop 97812, and various volunteers raised approximately 200 Asclepias (Milkweed Species) from seed, propagated pollinator flowers, collected shoe boxes and handed the out to the community to develop their own Monarch Sanctuary Gardens.
Please visit our BUTTERFLY GARDENS page for more information on the gardens, the birds and the bees.
HISTORIC FACTS:
“Before” Ground Breaking
Prior to formally being declared as an arboretum, the volunteer Shade Tree group in the 1990s has planted numerous trees extending up to the northern end with a collection of conifers. Jackie D’Angelo was instrumental in the early years, and a memorial stone rests in the Butterfly Garden.
No story of the Arboretum would be complete without recognizing our railways! Currently operated by CSX, the railroad originally arrived in Dumont in the late 1800s as the West Shore Railway.
Read more on our RAILROAD HISTORY tab.