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Rooted in New Jersey: The Science, Challenges, and Future of Our Native Trees—Virtual Fall Conference 2024
November 2, 2024 @ 8:45 am – 1:30 pm
“He who plants a tree plants a hope.” – Lucy Larcom, poet (1824-1893), c. 1891
New Jersey’s trees shape our landscapes, providing essential shelter for wildlife, improving our air and water, and offering shade that cools our communities. From the towering oaks of the Pine Barrens to the flowering dogwoods brightening our woodlands, these trees are more than scenery—they are vital to the health and resilience of our ecosystems.
Join NPSNJ for Rooted in New Jersey: The Science, Challenges, and Future of Our Native Trees, an in-depth virtual conference dedicated to understanding the essential role of trees in New Jersey and the efforts needed to protect and sustain them. Trees are vital pillars of our ecosystems, supporting wildlife, enhancing biodiversity, and improving air and water quality. They stabilize soil, regulate temperatures, and create healthier environments for all. Yet, despite their immense benefits, trees are often perceived as more difficult to plant and maintain than smaller native plants, while mature trees are frequently seen as safety risks. With thoughtful planning, however, tree planting and maintenance can be straightforward, and strategic placement can mitigate potential safety concerns.
Across New Jersey, tree cover is steadily declining due to urban development, disease, and invasive species, posing serious challenges for local ecosystems. The loss of mature trees reduces critical habitat, impacts biodiversity, and destabilizes soil and water systems, leaving landscapes vulnerable to erosion, flooding, and extreme heat. This conference will bring together experts, advocates, and community leaders to discuss practical strategies for conserving trees, advancing urban forestry, and integrating native trees and plants to build resilient, sustainable landscapes across New Jersey.
This year’s event will feature an engaging lineup of talks and panel discussions, providing valuable insights into planting, protecting, and maintaining New Jersey’s trees for a healthier, greener future.
A beautiful book by arborist and speaker Basil Camu is available as an e-book free or as a handsome hardcover book for $10.95 here
8:45AM
Programming Starts, President’s Welcome
Kazys Varnelis, NPSNJ President
9:00AM
Branches:
Micro Forests for Macro Solutions: An Introduction to Miyawaki Forests
Presented by John Evangelista, Groundwork Elizabeth
John Evangelista of Groundwork Elizabeth will introduce the Miyawaki Method, a way to reforest our environment by creating dense, fast-growing micro forests. Developed by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, this method creates dense, self-sustaining forests using native plant species, which thrive with little maintenance once established. Unlike traditional landscaping, Miyawaki Forests are planted with high density and carefully planned plant diversity, enabling them to grow up to ten times faster than typical tree-planting methods. Within a few years, these micro forests can achieve self-sufficiency, needing minimal maintenance while continuing to expand and strengthen ecosystems over time. Miyawaki Forests have become a recognized way to combat climate change, support biodiversity, improve air quality, and strengthen resilience within communities.
Miyawaki Forests are ideal for urban areas with limited space, as they can be planted on small plots such as vacant lots, park edges, school grounds, and community centers. The dense planting design makes them especially effective for noise reduction and pollution control near highways and industrial areas. Beyond cities, the Miyawaki Method can be applied in suburban areas, degraded lands, deforested zones, and rural landscapes, where it can quickly restore soil health, prevent erosion, and bring back native flora and fauna.
Evangelista’s work at Groundwork Elizabeth focuses on community-driven projects that combine ecosystem restoration with local engagement. In “Micro Forests for Macro Solutions,” he will highlight how communities can take an active role in planting and caring for these micro forests, which has been shown to strengthen public connection to local green spaces. From schools to neighborhood associations, the Miyawaki Method offers opportunities for people to directly participate in restoring the local environment, fostering a sense of environmental stewardship across generations.
Biography:
John Evangelista serves as Director of Operations for Groundwork Elizabeth, where he oversees a wide range of urban agriculture, climate resilience, and green infrastructure projects. Under his leadership, Groundwork Elizabeth established New Jersey’s first microforest in 2021 and has since expanded to multiple sites throughout Elizabeth, targeting high-need areas that lack tree cover.
John’s expertise also includes hydroponic system design, curriculum development for schools, and collaboration with local government to advance sustainable urban agriculture. In addition to his work with Groundwork Elizabeth, he contributes to the Union County Master Gardeners Executive Board and the Bloomfield Environmental Commission, bringing his knowledge and commitment to green solutions and environmental education across New Jersey.
10:00AM
Trunk:
Growing Native Trees
Presented by Basil Camu, Arborist, Leaf & Limb
Author of From Wasteland to Wonder, Easy Ways we Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/urban Landscape (available free at https://www.leaflimb.com/wonder/ free)
The way we currently manage the suburban and urban landscape is creating a wasteland and harming the well-being of Earth. We pave over forests, use giant machines to scrape away healthy soil, and turn thriving grasslands into dead lawns. Rain is unable to soak into the ground and instead rushes downhill, causing erosion and flooding. We repeatedly soak the land in toxic chemicals that kill life. There is little food for the birds, butterflies, and bees that need it. These efforts are costly, time-intensive, and increase CO2 in the atmosphere.
Fortunately, we have an alternative path: we can work with natural systems instead of working against them. By doing so, we can help heal Earth. We also save time and money because we perform fewer tasks and use fewer products. Best of all, these are simple things that anyone can do regardless of their knowledge or experience.
During the presentation we will begin by examining how the systems of photosynthesis and soil formation work and how they affect water, carbon, and all other life on land. We will also discuss how we are damaging these systems and practices we can implement that help heal Earth based on first-hand expertise developed at Leaf & Limb. We’ll begin with the easiest concepts, like planting saplings and saving mature trees. Then we’ll move to some more challenging, more impactful approaches, like planting pocket forests and replacing our lawns with Piedmont Prairies. Finally, for those who want to help shift paradigms even more, we discuss the Project Pando model to work with our community to gather native seeds, raise them into trees, and give them away for free.
Biography:
Basil Camu is co-founder of Leaf & Limb tree care company in Raleigh, N.C., and author of the new book, “From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape.” Leaf & Limb is a very different kind of tree service that doesn’t do take-downs, and instead focuses on tree care through all phases of life. Basil has recently appeared on A Way to Garden with Margeret Roach and been the subject of a profile by Margaret in the New York Times, “Why One Man runs a Tree Service that Won’t Cut Down Dead Trees.”
11:00AM
Break
11:15AM
Understory:
The Native Plants that Grow Under Trees
In Understory: An Introduction to Native Plants and Landscaping Techniques, Ian Caton, owner of Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery, will explore the essential role of native understory plants in cultivating resilient and biodiverse woodland ecosystems. This session will guide attendees through the diverse and beautiful native plants that grow under trees. Ian will share strategies for selecting and arranging native plants specifically adapted to thrive under tree canopies, highlighting low-maintenance methods that foster self-sustaining, ecologically balanced landscapes. Ian will discuss how integrating these native species can address common challenges in woodland areas—such as erosion control and invasive species management—while enhancing ecological stability and conserving resources. By incorporating native understory plants, participants will learn how to create landscapes that are not only functional and low-impact but also deeply beneficial to local habitats and the broader community.
Biography:
Ian Caton has been the owner/operator of Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery (Formerly Enchanters Garden) in Floyd, Virginia since March of 2013. Wood Thrush Native Plants is a nursery specializing in native plants of the Appalachian region including West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina. A focus of the nursery is the introduction of new and rare native plants which are little known or underappreciated in the nursery trade.
Previously Ian Caton had been an employee of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, the renowned Pennsylvania based landscape firm specializing in the use and promotion of native plants in landscaping, since 2001 and has an ongoing relationship with the firm and its educational arm: The New Directions in the Landscape (NDAL) program.
12:15PM
Seeds of Change / Advocacy and Ordinances at the Town Level in New Jersey
Seeds of Change: Advocacy and Ordinances at the Town Level in New Jersey
Moderated by Elaine Silverstein