The Pinelands Commission Is Either Oblivious Or Vindictive (Or Both)

Conservation Leaders Are Cowardly And Corrupt

(Caption: Source: Pinelands Commission, October Monthly Management Report – Maybe someone could photoshop the roadside clearcuts (see below) and put an ATV on the road?)

This morning on NPR, I heard Joe Biden respond to a question about how he would respond to a Republican Congress, by saying that “nothing would fundamentally change”.

How could he possibly use that phrase?

It shows that he is totally oblivious to the criticism and ridicule he has gotten for telling Wall Street and wealthy corporate donors during the 2020 campaign that “nothing would fundamentally change” under a Biden administration.

That level of detached obliviousness is pathological.

Well, exactly the same level or arrogance, detachment, and pathological obliviousness to criticism was just revealed by the Pinelands Commission (I probably should say the Staff, because the Commission probably didn’t review the above photo before it was released publicly).

That photo’s lovely view of a Pinelands road was plastered on the cover of their publicly released October Monthly Management Report –

That photo was shoved down the public’s throat just 2 weeks after the Commission approved a 13 MILE Long 50 foot wide CLEARCUT along Pinelands roads (with an additional 150 feet wide “feathering treatment” that would cut more than 90% of trees and sharply reduce canopy cover – the canopy would be reduced by 74%!!).

Here’s how the Pinelands Commission approval – which relied solely on DEP’s claims – described that 13 mile clearcut:

The applicant [DEP] indicates that this type of thinning creates a gradual transition in tree density from zero trees per acre created by the proposed forest firebreak to 33 trees per acre for a distance back from the proposed forest firebreak of 75 feet. Canopy cover will be reduced from 74% to 19% by the “feathered” variable density thinning treatment. The applicant indicates that this “feathered” treatment is intended to reduce the harsh forest edges and create a more visually appealing aesthetic between the proposed forest firebreak and the variable density thinning treatment.”

Keep that “more visually appealing aesthetic” in mind – with the canopy reduced by 74% (and that’s behind a 25 foot wide clearcut). We Tweeted a question about that:

The viewshed will be more like a State highway, maybe something that looks like this (Source: John Cecil presentation to the Pinelands Commission, March 2021):

I guarantee that you won’t see any photos of that clearcut on the cover of any future Pinelands Monthly Management Report!

Just as pathological, the people and organizations that are supposed to be the watchdogs for the integrity of Pinelands forests – Carleton Montgomery of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and Emile DeVito of the NJ Conservation Foundation – called that 13 MILE CLEARCUT the creation of a “MEADOW” (along with a pack of other pathological lies about the DEP 1,300 acre logging plan).

Repeat: they called a 13 mile long clearcut scar across the forest a MEADOW! (25 foot wide clearcut on each side – bisected by a road – is a fucking MEADOW! Orwell would be red faced!)

I’m in the Arizona desert for the winter, but so help me, I will drive across the country to take photos of this logging after its done and I will publicly shove those photos up Carleton and Emile’s asses. 

As they (used to?) say, that’s not a threat, it’s a promise.

They worked their asses off lying and successfully have blocked – blocked! – our efforts to get the attention of people or press about this forest rape. Unforgivable.

The rest of the NJ “environmental leaders” can go to hell as well, specifically including the “new and improved” NJ Sierra Club.

I’m done with all this crap, it’s negatively impacting my blood pressure and sleep.

This DEP logging plan is not an anomaly – years ago, the Corrupt PPA, NJCF and the Pinelands Commission signed off on the project below, calling it “stewardship and  “forest restoration” Hit that link and check out photos of that stream buffer. See if you can count all the stumps!