Chester also owns two large wooded parcels in the southwest portion of the Township. The Knight property and the Allen property were acquired in 1998 as part of the Black River Greenway project. These properties provide connections between Morris County’s Kay Environmental Center and Bamboo Brook and Willowood Arboretum. Management of these properties is handled under an agreement with the Morris County Park Commission.
Combined these properties consist of almost 400 acres of heavily wooded land. Well marked hiking trails connecting Willowood with the Kay Center and the Cooper Mill cross the properties. The properties were purchased through a combination of State of New Jersey Green Acres Program low-interest loans and donations of value by the former land owners.