April 30, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

9 of 48 sheets Page 33 to 36 of 116 05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM 33 there?1 THE WITNESS: So I mentioned the one thing2 that would, I wish, I was always trying to get power3 companies to plant Norway spruces or white pines or big4 evergreens on the southern edges of their, of their5 power line cuts because the sun comes in from the south,6 right. Because the sun, since we're in the northern7 hemisphere, so if you plant southern exposure with dense8 plantings of evergreens eventually over time that will9 limit the amount of sunlight coming in which dries10 everything out. That's one of the worst things. The11 problem is that, that takes an immense amount of time,12 you know, because you can't plant big things. So now,13 had somebody, had somebody planted those things, you14 know, 50 years ago around the edge of this whole place15 then you would have more core forest from the point of16 view of sun and wind, but not from predators.17 MR. ALPER: In the spirit of, you said the18 best kind of planting today, is it worthwhile, is it19 that condition that would make sense that would be20 helpful down the road a few years to plant a bunch of21 tall trees eventually on the southern edges?22 THE WITNESS: That's always helpful. If you23 have an edge it's always good to try and prevent the24 sunlight from getting in.25 34 MR. ALPER: Thank you.1 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Ms. Kapferer, do you have2 any questions of Dr. DeVito on his testimony?3 MS. KAPFERER: Yes. Thank you Chairman and4 thank you Dr. DeVito.5 Can you speak to other benefits, maybe other6 benefits of core forests? You've spoken to some7 already, but.8 THE WITNESS: Well, I mean this particular9 forest has maturing trees that are going to live a long10 time and we know from recent studies that the trees here11 in northern New Jersey, the red oaks, the hickories, the12 maples, very sequestered carbon faster than they ever13 have before and there is a lot of frankly garbage out14 there about you have to cut down the trees when they get15 to be 100 years old because, you know, the forest isn't16 healthy. That's because red oaks are incredibly17 valuable and the timber industry is trying to think up18 reasons why you have to cut down 100 year old trees.19 They're going to live another 200 years and they're20 going to sequester incredible amounts of carbon and21 they're going to do it for another good 100 years. And22 that's the

wn 100 year old trees.19 They're going to live another 200 years and they're20 going to sequester incredible amounts of carbon and21 they're going to do it for another good 100 years. And22 that's the most important, right. If you're going to23 fight climate changes we have to fight it now, not by24 planting a bunch of little trees. By the time they grow25 35 up and sequester carbon, usable amounts of carbon,1 battles going to be over. We have to fight climate2 change now by not cutting down mature trees and most of3 the carbon is sequestered in the roots and in the soil.4 And so, you know, when you plant a bunch of little trees5 it takes 50 or 60 years before you even break even,6 never mind actually start gaining carbon. So right now7 what we should be doing in New Jersey is protecting our8 mature forest and there's this thing about a young9 forest initiative, which is a bunch of smoke screens10 made up by the Fish and Wildlife Agency because they11 want more deer and more huntable species and so they're12 saying that we need to be logging our forests in order13 to create healthy forests, which is absolutely garbage.14 MS. KAPFERER: Is there any difference in15 your experience between edge forest and core forest as16 far as drainage and stormwater runoff?17 THE WITNESS: So over time there would be a18 difference because alien plants such as Japanese19 Stiltgrass and garlic mustard and all these species come20 in on the edge. They have their annuals or short lived21 perennials and they have really weak root systems and22 lots of erosion starts to occur when you lose the native23 woody understory and the native woody root mass in favor24 of all these alien species that don't secure the soil25 36 and so in the winter time you get tremendous amounts of1 runoff and the soil gets carried away. So that's a2 problem. That appears to be a huge problem, even in all3 of our wild areas where there's a lot of forest that's4 grown up of agricultural soil. This is not here.5 There's post agricultural forest which is a forest that6 has grown up that were farms until World War 1 or World7 War 2 and they look like forests, but the understory is8 nothing but alien weeds and they don't hold the soil9 because they're short lived annual plants and they have10 no root systems, but that's not here. This forest has,11 even though it's deer browsed, those root systems are12 still

ey don't hold the soil9 because they're short lived annual plants and they have10 no root systems, but that's not here. This forest has,11 even though it's deer browsed, those root systems are12 still intact and the soil is still intact, it's never13 been disturbed and that's really important.14 MS. KAPFERER: Thank you.15 That's it for me.16 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: I have a question. So17 what would you do?18 THE WITNESS: What would I do?19 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: With that piece of land,20 what would you do?21 THE WITNESS: Find the money and save it. I22 know that's hard to do, but that's what I would try to23 do.24 MAYOR McCARTNEY: And it's not for sale.25