Natural Carbon Sinks

Conserving forested land and other open spaces reduce a portion of total greenhouse gas emissions as part of the natural carbon cycling process.  Terrestrial carbon sequestration is the earth’s ability to capture and store carbon dioxide in vegetation and soils, where it remains isolated from the atmosphere.  In New Jersey, terrestrial carbon sequestration is achieved through the State's green infrastructure of forests and wetlands, which, at 3 million acres, comprise a substantial share of the State’s land area.  Grasslands and croplands also have carbon sequestration potential; mostly in soils. 
New Jersey’s forests and preserved open space are quite important to satisfy the goals of the NJ Global Warming Response Act. 

The necessity of maintaining and enhancing New Jersey's natural capacity to sequester carbon is emphasized in the Global Warming Response Act Recommendation Report, which contains recommendations designed to protect and increase terrestrial sequestration in New Jersey. These include the strategic land management of State-owned and State-administered parks, forests and wildlife management areas.