What a dozen volunteers, 86 native trees, and one devastating invasive insect have to do with the air you breathe and the water you drink.
You don’t think about electricity until the power goes out. You don’t think about clean water until the
tap runs dry. And most of us don’t think about the forest — until it’s gone.
That’s exactly what makes the work happening in the Sourland Mountain Region of Central New Jersey
so urgent. And it’s why a group of EarthShare New Jersey volunteers recently spent a full day at the
Somerset County Sourland Mountain Preserve doing something quietly powerful: pulling invasive
shrubs and planting native trees and shrubs to help a forest heal.
The Sourlands are in trouble. A single invasive insect — the emerald ash borer — has killed more than
one million ash trees in the region since 2020, wiping out roughly 20% of the entire forest canopy.
That’s not a distant ecological statistic. That’s a forest that is visibly, rapidly changing.
And when trees die in large numbers, the forest doesn’t simply wait to recover. Invasive shrubs and
vines rush in to fill the gaps, crowding out native seedlings and making future restoration increasingly
difficult — and eventually, if left unchecked, impossible. The window to act is narrow and closing fast.
Here’s what many people don’t realize: the Sourlands aren’t just a local treasure. They’re a regional
lifeline.
The Sourland headwater streams flow into the creeks and rivers running between New York and
Philadelphia. More than 800,000 residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania rely on the Sourlands for
some or all of their drinking water. The health of this forest — its ability to filter runoff, absorb
pollutants, and replenish the aquifer — directly affects what comes out of taps across the region.
The ecological significance doesn’t stop there. The National Audubon Society has designated the entire
Sourland Region a Continental Important Bird Area — one of just 113 such sites in the entire United
States. For migratory and resident bird species alike, the Sourlands are not a nice-to-have. They are
irreplaceable.
Every day, without fanfare, this forest filters our air and water, absorbs stormwater that would
otherwise flood our communities, and provides habitat for a remarkable range of wildlife — including
57 state-listed threatened and endangered species. It does all of this for free, without interruption, and
almost entirely without our notice.
Until, like the power going out, something goes wrong.
That’s where volunteers come in. The EarthShare New Jersey team that rolled up their sleeves at the
Sourland Mountain Preserve was small — but mighty. Together, they removed stubborn invasive shrubs
including barberry and multiflora rose, then planted and protected 86 native trees and shrubs in just
one day, giving the forest a fighting chance to reclaim ground from the invasives and restore the
ecosystem functions we all depend upon.
Every tree planted is one more filter for our water, one more anchor against flooding, one more home
for the birds, insects, and mammals that make the Sourlands one of the most ecologically rich
landscapes in New Jersey — and the eastern United States.
The Sourland Conservancy’s forest restoration work continues year-round — and volunteers are at the
heart of it. Whether you spend a day with a shovel or support the work from afar, you’re helping keep
one of the most vital natural systems in the region thriving for generations to come.
The Sourland Conservancy is a small nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, promote,
and preserve the unique character of the Sourland Mountain Region of Central New Jersey. Since
2020, the Conservancy’s staf and volunteers have planted more than 65,000 native trees and shrubs.
Their board and staf would like to express sincere thanks to EarthShare New Jersey, PVH
Foundation, and Somerset County Park Commission for making a real and lasting dif erence!
To learn how you can improve ecosystem health in the Sourland Forest – and at home – visit
www.sourland.org.