N.J. hunters seeking better habitat for game back Pinelands proposals
24/07/09 21:18
By BEN LEACH Staff Writer, 609-272-7261 | Posted:
Friday, July 24, 2009 |
New Jersey hunters came armed with strong words to the Pinelands Commission as the state agency prepared to change the way its forests are managed.
The commission held a public hearing Wednesday night in New Lisbon to discuss ways in which the forests of the Pinelands National Reserve should be managed. The changes would encourage more commercial forestry operations while keeping the habitat safe for people and the plants and animals that call the Pinelands home.
New Jersey hunters came armed with strong words to the Pinelands Commission as the state agency prepared to change the way its forests are managed.
The commission held a public hearing Wednesday night in New Lisbon to discuss ways in which the forests of the Pinelands National Reserve should be managed. The changes would encourage more commercial forestry operations while keeping the habitat safe for people and the plants and animals that call the Pinelands home.
But the commission was not expecting hunters from
across the state to appear by the dozens at
Wednesday's hearing. The primary concern of the
hunters was that the forests of New Jersey need to be
managed to encourage game birds such as the bobwhite
quail and the ruffed grouse to thrive. They are
convinced that the decline in these species was an
unintended consequence of preserving the Pinelands
landscape.
"There's a fine distinction between preservation and conservation," said Joe Matter, chairman of the New Jersey Quail Project.
Matter said bobwhite quail used to be abundant in New Jersey. But since the Pinelands Commission set out to preserve the forests, trees have grown so tall that they do not allow sunlight to reach the ground. That means no insects or small plants are congregating below, limiting the available food sources for game birds such as the quail.
According to the National Audubon Society, bobwhite quail populations nationwide have declined 82 percent since 1967, from 31 million to about 5 million today.
"They're damn near extirpated," Matter said.
The commission now says wildfires and disturbance through forestry help to shape the ecology of the Pinelands. The commission wants to pass proposed amendments to satisfy an economic and social need for better forest management.
According to the state's Department of Agriculture, the value of forest products accounted for only 0.13 percent of New Jersey's total crop production. In 2008, only 5,224 cords of wood were harvested statewide, as opposed to an estimated 82,000 cords of pine and oak harvested in the Pinelands in the 1970s.
The commission also wants to allow for new growth to encourage species such as the quail to return in plentiful numbers, but that does not mean the forests are going to be clear-cut.
For example, shrub forests account for about 10 percent of the about 1 million acres that make up the Pinelands. These areas are considered globally rare forest types, and proper forest management is needed to keep them as protected habitats, according to David Kutner, director of special programs for the Pinelands Commission.
While lingering concerns still exist, the hunters at Wednesday's hearing provided positive feedback to the commission on the proposed changes.
"By and large, they supported the proposed rules," Kutner said.
E-mail Ben Leach: BLeach@pressofac.com
Original Article - http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/new_jersey/article_69bb53f2-7814-11de-aae7-001cc4c002e0.html
"There's a fine distinction between preservation and conservation," said Joe Matter, chairman of the New Jersey Quail Project.
Matter said bobwhite quail used to be abundant in New Jersey. But since the Pinelands Commission set out to preserve the forests, trees have grown so tall that they do not allow sunlight to reach the ground. That means no insects or small plants are congregating below, limiting the available food sources for game birds such as the quail.
According to the National Audubon Society, bobwhite quail populations nationwide have declined 82 percent since 1967, from 31 million to about 5 million today.
"They're damn near extirpated," Matter said.
The commission now says wildfires and disturbance through forestry help to shape the ecology of the Pinelands. The commission wants to pass proposed amendments to satisfy an economic and social need for better forest management.
According to the state's Department of Agriculture, the value of forest products accounted for only 0.13 percent of New Jersey's total crop production. In 2008, only 5,224 cords of wood were harvested statewide, as opposed to an estimated 82,000 cords of pine and oak harvested in the Pinelands in the 1970s.
The commission also wants to allow for new growth to encourage species such as the quail to return in plentiful numbers, but that does not mean the forests are going to be clear-cut.
For example, shrub forests account for about 10 percent of the about 1 million acres that make up the Pinelands. These areas are considered globally rare forest types, and proper forest management is needed to keep them as protected habitats, according to David Kutner, director of special programs for the Pinelands Commission.
While lingering concerns still exist, the hunters at Wednesday's hearing provided positive feedback to the commission on the proposed changes.
"By and large, they supported the proposed rules," Kutner said.
E-mail Ben Leach: BLeach@pressofac.com
Original Article - http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/new_jersey/article_69bb53f2-7814-11de-aae7-001cc4c002e0.html