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Special Section: Protecting NJ’s trees in a changing climate Trees under threat… what we can do about it By Matthew G. Olson, Assistant Professor, Environmental Science Program – Forestry School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Stockton University F ew organisms inspire us quite like trees. Whether it's a massive white pine emerging above the main canopy of a mature forest or a contorted Japanese maple basking in the full sunlight of a landscaped park, trees never cease to draw our attention and amazement. Beyond their aweinspiring size and magnificence, these mammoths of the plant world also provide numerous beneficial services to ecosystems and society. Now more than ever people are recognizing the many benefits of trees and forests, including their role in helping us adapt to human-caused climate change. These climate adaptation benefits range from tree shade lowering home energy usage and costs to the role of forests in mitigating climate change more directly via greenhouse gas capture and storage. Maintaining native tree cover can also aid other species in coping with extreme weather and a warming climate. Simply put… trees work for all. Humans have long benefited from the ecological services provided by trees. For most of our shared history with trees, we have derived these Matthew Olson in the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina SUSTAINABLY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 11