The County Executive Friday announced the start of a reforestation program in South Mountain Reservation that’s meant to work in conjunction with the deer cull program to help restore the forest's ecosystem.

Developed in partnership with the South Mountain Conservancy, the plan calls for trees, shrubs and flowers native to the Reservation to be planted in 43 sites ranging from 5,000 square feet to 14 acres, which will be enclosed with eight-foot metal fencing to prevent deer from eating the seedlings. It's a corollary to the controversial deer cull program, which was undertaken to control the population. According to statistics released by the County Executive's office, 296 deer were felled by sharpshooters in 2008 and 2009, and the total reduction of the population is 498 if 202 unborn deer are taken into account.

The contract for the fencing and planting—which will take place this spring and next fall—went to Andy Matt, Inc. The work will be completed over the next 275 days and starts next week. The work is being funded through a $400,000 Green Acres grant obtained by the South Mountain Conservancy, which was matched by the county with the same amount in Open Space funds. The county's policy of matching grants for costs to implement the plan will continue beyond this year, according to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo.

The effects of the reforestation won't be seen overnight, said Dan Dowd, a landscaping consultant to the county who helped develop the plan. The vision is for seeds from the sites to take root in a Reservation less decimated by deer foraging, and the timeline for the process is about 10 years.

"It will give us the opportunity to regenerate the soil as it should be," he said.

In his remarks, DiVincenzo spoke of the importance of continuing with the deer cull to complement the reforestation plan and his hopes to extend the hunt to Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange and Hilltop Reservation in Cedar Grove next year.

"The deer management program works, and we're going to continue the deer management program year after year," said DiVincenzo, over the protests of a handful of activists with signs urging an end to the hunt.