The invasion of New Jersey is underway | Opinion

invasive species op-ed
Invasive species are considered the second greatest threat to biodiversity. A former federal Environmental Protection Agency official and the director of the NJ Invasive Species Strike Team says the Legislature needs to pass a bill that would prohibit the sale of 29 invasive plant species.
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By Jeanne Fox and Michael Van Clef

Invasive plants, insects, and other species spreading across the Garden State are severely degrading hundreds of thousands of acres of our forests that provide precious recreation resources, protect our drinking water, manage stormwater, sequester large amounts of greenhouse gases and preserve the biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems.

They are causing an economic impact on New Jersey agriculture estimated at $290 million per year, or 33% of New Jersey’s total agricultural cash receipts.

State legislators, along with a collaborative effort among diverse stakeholders, have designed a bill (S2186/A3677) to address this severe threat. Let’s pass this legislation and move New Jersey from a national invasive species management laggard toward becoming one of the leaders.

Invasive species are considered the second greatest threat to biodiversity after outright habitat destruction. While New Jersey is a national leader in land protection, embodied in the very successful Green Acres program and the Highlands and Pinelands protection acts, we are far behind on invasive species management being one of only five states with no regulation of invasive plants that are commercially sold. We need a comprehensive state strategy with quantifiable goals.

Invasive species are certain non-native species that are intentionally and accidentally imported and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species include plants, insects, microorganisms, mammals, birds, fish and more.

They are a small subset of all non-native species. For example, about 150 plant species need evaluation and consideration for invasive species management, a small fraction of the estimated 10,000 plants introduced to New Jersey.

Invasive plants in New Jersey infest hundreds of thousands of acres of our natural areas, which were virtually free of invasive plants in the 1950s. These invasives inhibit the growth of native species, threatening the ongoing regeneration of forests and degrading the habitat and food web for wildlife.

Aquatic invaders degrade and threaten our waterways and lakes. Invasive insects include the Emerald Ash Borer that will kill over 20 million ash trees across New Jersey and the infamous Spotted Lantern Fly that is stressing trees and damaging crops.

In 2004, then-Gov. James McGreevey signed Executive Order #97, which directed the creation of the New Jersey Invasive Species Council. The council is charged with preparing the New Jersey Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species, which was approved in 2009. This plan was never implemented and over the last 14 years, nearly every other state in the nation has taken action.

In March 2022, Senators Bob Smith and Linda Greenstein introduced S2186 and Assembly members Sterley Stanley, Anthony Verrelli, and Sadaf Jaffer introduced companion bill A3677 – both with bi-partisan co-sponsorship.

The new legislation would prohibit the sale of 29 invasive plant species and re-establish the New Jersey Invasive Species Council. The council would consist of qualified and experienced stakeholders to evaluate, develop strategy, and make management recommendations to the Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection for the management of additional invasive species. The council will deliberately build on the best practices developed in other states.

Material amendments have been requested by a collaborative stakeholders’ workgroup representing the New Jersey Forest Stewardship Task Force, New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, New Jersey Farm Bureau, New Jersey Audubon, New Jersey Forestry Association, New Jersey Sierra Club, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team, and the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

The workgroup agrees we must protect our natural lands from continued threats from invasive species while supporting a thriving nursery industry. The requested amendments include economically appropriate nursery phase-out periods for regulated species and regulatory exemptions for selected “sterile” cultivars.

The listed above are among 60-plus diverse organizations cosigning a letter requesting the New Jersey Senate and Assembly to enact bill S2186/A3677, including the requested amendments.

New Jersey voters have enthusiastically supported habitat protection, approving a dozen ballot measures and a constitutional amendment to fund land preservation. Clearly, they will want to protect the lands that they voted to preserve. It is time for New Jersey to enact S2186/A3677 into law.

Jeanne Fox, JD, is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University and at Rutgers University. She’s also a former president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; former regional administrator at the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency and former commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Michael Van Clef, Ph.D, is the program director of NJ Invasive Species Strike Team.

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