1. Normal and customary forestry practices on residentially improved parcels of land that are five acres or less in size;
2. Tree harvesting, provided that no more than one cord of wood per five acres of land is harvested in any one year and that no more than five cords of wood are harvested from the entire parcel in any one year;
3. Tree planting, provided that the area to be planted does not exceed five acres in any one year, no soil disturbance occurs other than that caused by the planting activity and no trees other than those authorized by N.J.A.C. 7:50-6.25 are to be planted;
4. Forest stand improvement designed to selectively thin trees and brush, provided that no clearing or soil disturbance occurs and that the total land area on the parcel in which the activity occurs does not exceed five acres in any one year; and
5. Prescribed burning and the clearing and maintaining of fire breaks.
 

Forestry Application Requirements. The information in Subsection 1 or 2 below shall be submitted to the Township Zoning Officer prior to the issuance of any forestry permit:

1. For forestry activities on a parcel of land enrolled in the New Jersey Forest Stewardship Program, a copy of the approved New Jersey forest stewardship plan. This document shall serve as evidence of the completion of an application with the Pinelands Commission as well as evidence that the activities are consistent with the standards of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan. No certificate of filing from the Pinelands Commission shall be required.

2. For all other forestry applications:

a. The applicant's name and address and his interest in the subject parcel;
b. The owner's name and address, if different from the applicant's, and the owner's signed consent to the filing of the application;
c. The description, including block and lot designation and street address, if any, of the subject parcel;
d. A description of all existing uses of the subject parcel;
e. A brief written statement generally describing the proposed forestry operation;
f. A USGS Quadrangle Map, or copy thereof, and a copy of the Municipal Tax Map sheet on which the boundaries of the subject parcel, the Pinelands Management Area designation and the municipal zoning designation are shown;
g. A forestry management plan that includes, as appropriate:

(1) A cover page for the plan containing:

(a) The name, mailing address and telephone number of the owner of the subject parcel;
(b) The municipality and county in which the subject parcel is located;
(c) The block and lot designation and street address, if any, of the subject parcel;
(d) The name and address of the forester who prepared the plan, if not prepared by the owner of the subject parcel; and
(e) The date the plan was prepared, subsequent revision dates and the period of time the plan is intended to cover;

(2) A clear and concise statement of the owner's objectives for undertaking the proposed forestry activities, including a description of the short- (five years) and long-term (20 years) objectives for all proposed silvicultural techniques that will be used to manage the parcel;

(3) A description of the existing conditions of the subject parcel and of each forest stand in which a proposed activity, prescription or practice will occur. These stand descriptions shall include photographs of each stand taken at eye level showing the location of all Pinelands native forest types, as identified at N.J.A.C. 7:50-6.43, and shall be keyed to an activity map that shall include, as appropriate, the following information:

(a) The number of acres;
(b) The general condition and quality of each stand;
(c) The overall site quality, relative to the management goals and objectives identified in Subsection (2) above;
(d) An inventory and map of Pinelands native forest types with native forest types broken into "stands," including information on type, size and volume by species;
(e) The age of representative trees;
(f) The species composition, including overstory, understory, ground layer structure and composition;
(g) The stand cohort composition;
(h) The percent cover;
(i) The basal area;
(j) The structure, including age classes, diameter at breast height (DBH) classes and crown classes;
(k) The condition and species composition of advanced regeneration, when applicable;
(l) A stocking table showing the stocking levels, growth rates and volume;
(m) Projections of intended future stand characteristics at ten-, twenty-, and forty-year intervals;
(n) A description of the forestry activities, silvicultural prescriptions, management activities and practices proposed during the permit period and the acreage proposed for each activity. These may include, but are not necessarily limited to, a description of:

i. Stand improvement practices;
ii. Site preparation practices;
iii. Harvesting practices;
iv. Regeneration and reforestation practices;
v. Improvements, including road construction, stream crossings, landings, loading areas and skid trails;
vi. Herbicide treatments;
vii. Silvicultural treatment alternatives;
viii. If planting will occur to accomplish reforestation, the application shall include seed source records, if such records are available;
ix. Implementation instructions; and
x. Measures that will be taken to prevent the potential spread of exotic plant species or phragmites into wetlands; and

(o) A description, if appropriate, of the forest products to be harvested, including volume expressed in cords and board feet; diameter at breast height (DBH) classes and average diameter; age; heights; and number of trees per acre; and

(4) A map of the entire parcel which includes the following:

(a) The owner's name, address and the date the map was prepared;
(b) An arrow designating the north direction;
(c) A scale which is not smaller than one inch equals 2,000 feet or larger than one inch equals 400 feet;
(d) The location of all property lines;
(e) A delineation of the physical features such as roads, streams and structures;
(f) The identification of soil types (a separate map may be used for this purpose);
(g) A map inset showing the location of the parcel in relation to the local area;
(h) Clear location of the area and acreage in which each proposed activity, prescription or practice will occur. If shown on other than the property map, the map or maps shall note the scale, which shall not be smaller than one inch equals 2,000 feet or larger than one inch equals 400 feet, and shall be appropriately keyed to the property map; and
(i) A legend defining the symbols appearing on the map.
 

h. A letter from the Office of Natural Lands Management identifying any threatened or endangered plants or animals reported on or in the immediate vicinity of the parcel and a detailed description by the applicant of the measures proposed to meet the standards set forth in § 511: Endangered Flora and Fauna;

i. A cultural resource survey documenting cultural resources on those portions of the parcel where ground disturbance due to site preparation or road construction will occur and a detailed description of the measures proposed by the applicant to treat those cultural resources in accordance with § 515: Historic, Archaeological and Cultural Preservation in the Pinelands;

j. A statement identifying the type, location and frequency of any proposed herbicide treatments and how such treatments will comply with the standards set forth in § DR-612C.9.b;

k. A statement identifying the specific steps to be taken to ensure that trees or areas to be harvested are properly identified so as to ensure that only those trees intended for harvesting are harvested;

l. Written comments from the New Jersey State Forester concerning the extent to which the proposed forestry activities are consistent with the guidelines provided in the New Jersey Forestry and Wetlands Best Management Practices Manual developed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, dated October 1995, as amended. Any such comments which indicate that the proposed activities are not consistent with said Manual must be addressed by the applicant in terms of their potential impact on the standards set forth in Subsection C below; and

m. A certificate of filing from the Pinelands Commission issued pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:50-4.34; and

n. When prior approval for the forestry activities has been granted by the Zoning Officer or other Township approval agency, a letter from the Pinelands Commission indicating that the prior approval has been reviewed pursuant to § DR-808E.

Forestry Permit Procedures.

1. Applications for forestry permits shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer and shall be accompanied by an application fee of $25.

2. Within 14 days of receipt of an application, the Zoning Officer shall determine whether the application is complete and, if necessary, notify the applicant in writing of any additional information which is necessary to complete the application. Should the Zoning Officer fail to make such a determination within 14 days, the application shall be considered to be complete as of the 15th day following its submission.

3. Within 45 days of determining an application to be complete pursuant to Subsection 2 above, or within such further time as may be consented to by the applicant, the Zoning Officer shall issue a forestry permit if the activities proposed in the application comply with the standards in § DR-612C or disapprove any application which does not meet the requirements of § DR-612C. Any such notice of disapproval shall specifically set forth the deficiencies of the application.

4. Upon receipt of a notice of disapproval pursuant to Subsection 3 above, the applicant shall have 30 days in which to correct the deficiencies and submit any necessary revisions to the application to the Zoning Officer for review. The Zoning Officer shall review the revised application to verify conformity with the standards in § DR-612C and shall, within 14 days of receipt of the revised application, issue a forestry permit or disapprove the application pursuant to Subsection 3 above.

5. Failure of the Zoning Officer to act within the time period prescribed in Subsection 3 and 4 above shall constitute approval of the forestry application as submitted. At the request of the applicant, a certificate as to the failure of the Zoning Officer to act shall be issued by the municipality and it shall be sufficient in lieu of the written endorsement or other evidence of municipal approval required herein.

6. In reviewing and issuing permits for forestry applications, the Zoning Officer shall also comply with the Pinelands Area notice and review procedures set forth in § DR-808D through § DR-808G.

7. Forestry permits shall be valid for a period of 10 years. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any person from securing additional permits, provided that the requirements of this ordinance and the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan are met.

Administrative Fees. Upon the issuance of a forestry permit pursuant to Subsection 3 above, the applicant shall be required to pay a sum of $250 which shall serve as reimbursement for any administrative costs incurred by the municipality during the ten-year permit period. The applicant shall not be subject to any additional fees or escrow requirements for the duration of the forestry permit.

Notification of Harvesting. No harvesting shall be commenced until the applicant has provided the Zoning Officer with 72 hours written notice of the intention to begin harvesting operations.

See § 612: Forestry for complete, detailed information on Forestry.
See Documents and Forms for more information.