Haddon Township, only wildlife and American Indians used the forest. In the 19th century, Quakers deeded part of the tract to Joshua Sadler, a former slave who escaped to Haddon and used the forest as a stop on the Underground Railroad, helping other slaves escape to the North. In his will, Sadler gave protection to the forest, duly requiring that no future heir could cut down the forest.
In the 1970's, a developer sought to clear the forest for high-rise condominiums. Doug Hefty, a fourteen-year old high school student, who had studied the forest, presented then-owner Samuel Oshiver with his 83-page report. Oshiver, so impressed with the detailed findings of Doug's report, decided against destroying the forest. After Oshiver's death, a private group acquired the land and planned to build on the site. But public protest and the foresight of Town officials resulted in saving the forest once again. With funding from Green Acres, the town sought to preserve the forest as open space.
Having a more imposing plan defeated, the athletic association now wants to clear 6 acres of peripheral

younger trees - a move that, experts warn, could "negatively impact the health and longevity of specimen trees or cause them to fail by removing wooded areas that buffer them from extreme weather conditions"¹ (not to mention harm from excessive water and chemical runoff from the fields).

Just Six Acres
Just six acres? Six acres can absorb 288 pounds of CO₂ annually (the equivalent of 96 cars driving 1300 miles) and releases enough oxygen for 108 people to breathe for a year.²

Trees, like Exercise, Benefit Us Too
David J. Nowak of the USDA Forest Survey, based in Syracuse (NY), completed a study in 1994 reporting trees and shrubs in Philadelphia and suburbs removed an estimated 971 tons of air pollution at an estimated value to society of $4.8 million. Pollution removal was greatest for particulate matter (384 tons), followed by ozone (274 tons), sulfur dioxide (145 tons), nitrogen dioxide (143 tons), and carbon monoxide (25 tons). Trees accounted