N.J. Admin. Code § 7:3-6.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 19, October 7, 2024

Section 7:3-6.1 - Committee membership

(a) The State Forester shall serve on the Committee as Committee Chair.

(b) The following shall serve ex officio:

1. Director of the USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area;

2. The State Conservationist of New Jersey within USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS);

3. The Executive Director of the New Jersey State Office of USDA's Farm Service Agency;

4. The Director of the Cooperative Extension Service of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES);

5. The Director of the Division of Taxation in New Jersey's Department of the Treasury;

6. The Director of the Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources in the New Jersey Department of Agriculture;

7. The President of the New Jersey Forestry Association;

8. The Chair of the New Jersey Division of the Society of American Foresters;

9. The President of the Association of Municipal Assessors of New Jersey;

10. The Supervisor of the New Jersey Field Office, Northeast Region Ecological Services, USFWS;

11. The Chair of the New Jersey Tree Farm Committee; and

12. The Director of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

(c) In this subchapter, reference to an ex officio member shall mean either the individual listed in (b)1 through 12 above or that individual's designee, as applicable. A designee shall be an employee or a member of the governing board of the agency or organization.

(d) Additionally, the Commissioner shall appoint six members to the Committee, each of whom shall serve as a representative of the respective interest area specified as follows:

1. An individual on the List of Approved Foresters maintained by the Department pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:3-3, as a representative of Approved Foresters;

2. An employee or member of the governing board of a New Jersey lands trust that is actively engaged in natural resource land management, as a representative of such land trusts;

3. An owner or operator of a private forest products business located in New Jersey, as a representative of such businesses;

4. A New Jersey property owner who is eligible under the National Forest Stewardship Guidelines to qualify to enroll the property in the Federal forest stewardship program administered by the USDA Forest Service under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978, as amended, 16 U.S.C. § 2103A, as a representative of private forest landowners;

5. A representative of a New Jersey nonprofit conservation organization, other than a land trust, that aids and advises private property owners and/or local government units in the preservation of forest land, as a representative of such conservation organization; and

6. A representative of a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that is not a land trust or conservation organization, but is concerned with forests and forestry in New Jersey, as a representative of such nonprofits.

(e) In addition to the six members set forth in (d) above, the Commissioner may appoint up to three additional members to the Committee to represent other relevant interests as the Commissioner deems appropriate.

(f) No individual shall serve on the Committee as the representative of more than one category in (b) and (d) above, even if he or she meets the qualifications for more than one category.

(g) No employee of the Department shall serve as an appointed member of the Committee pursuant to (d) or (e) above while employed by the Department.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:3-6.1

Adopted by 49 N.J.R. 3824(a), effective 12/18/2017