Renewed Logging On Sparta Mountain Sparks Demand That DEP Impose A Moratorium Until Legislative Forestry Task Force Recommendations Are Enacted

DEP Logging Undermines The Work of Senator Smith’s Legislative Task Force

DEP Forestry Program Ignores Climate Science And Lacks Regulatory Protections

NJ’s publicly owned and purchased forests are “wood products” sold to the highest bidder (only $8,500 for 210 oaks!)

Despite Senate Environment Committee Chairman Smith’s recent formation of a Forestry Task Force to craft recommendations to improve current DEP forestry management policies and practices in light of the climate emergency, DEP is continuing to log NJ’s public forests.

Current DEP forestry plans, policies, regulations and practices completely ignore climate science and are riddled with loopholes, in terms of protection of water quality, stream buffers, and natural resources. That’s why Senator Smith formed his Task Force, such that long needed reforms could be developed. (Even DEP recognized these flaws and recently has crafted a “Natural and Working Lands Initiative” to begin to consider climate science and policy.)

DEP’s effective defiance of legislative oversight and reform efforts is a flagrant and intolerable abuse by DEP that can not be allowed to stand.

I submitted the letter below to DEP Commissioner LaTourette, demanding that he issue an Administrative Order halting all DEP approvals of plans, contracts, or permits that involve logging of NJ’s public forests, with a limited public emergency exception.

Given the current ongoing deliberations of the Legislative Forestry Task Force and DEP’s own administrative policy review and reform, it is highly inappropriate – bordering on bad faith – to continue to authorize logging of NJ’s public forests.

 

I strongly urge you to immediately issue an Administrative Order that halts all ongoing DEP work on issuing any form of planning, contracting, or regulatory approvals of forestry work, with a very limited public safety exception.

I am also publicly calling on Senator Smith and all 4 Co-Chairs of the Smith Forestry Task Force to join in this demand.

Ideally, the Commissioner’s Administrative Order should be codified and strengthened by Gov. Murphy’s Executive Order, which should extend the moratorium until Senator SMith’s Task Force recommendations are enacted into law.

If DEP is allowed to continue the current broken logging program during this period of legislative oversight and reform, it will make a mockery of their work.

Dear Commissioner LaTourette:

I understand that the Department recently approved another controversial logging contract on Sparta Mountain WMA.

As you know, the current DEP approved “forestry management” policies, regulations, and practices do not consider climate science or policy (e.g. sequestration) and do not adequately protect water quality or natural resources.

That is one of the main reasons why Senator Smith created the Forestry Task Force on February 10, 2022 to recommend ways to improve current practices.

That is also one of the reasons that DEP itself has created the Natural and Working Lands Initiative and Forest Action plan. Both initiatives have recently undergone public comment and have not been finalized. Similarly, DEP climate PACT REAL land use regulations, and RGGI renegotiation are currently underway, and they too will have significant impacts on NJ’s forest resources and climate policies.

Given the current ongoing deliberations of the Legislative Forestry Task Force and DEP’s own administrative policy review and reform, it is highly inappropriate – bordering on bad faith – to continue to authorize logging of NJ’s public forests.

I strongly urge you to immediately issue an Administrative Order that halts all ongoing DEP work on issuing any form of planning, contracting, or regulatory approvals of forestry work, with a very limited public safety exception.

Respectfully,

Bill Wolfe

c: Senators Smith and Greenstein