Forestry

The LLCOA operates a tree farm on about 600 of our 660 acres. This allows us to keep this acreage in a more-or-less wild state while lowering our property tax liability dramatically, compared to what we would be paying if it were assessed as residential or commercial property. To maintain this status, we must manage the woods according to our “Forest Stewardship Plan.” This plan was prepared for us by Ridge and Valley Forest Management and approved by both New Jersey and Federal authorities. You can download the plan just below, and it explains all this in detail. Andy Bennett and his team at Ridge and Valley have done a remarkable job in preparing this plan, which will guide us from 2023 onward.
LLCOA Forest Stewardship Plan (Primary document)
LLCOA Forest Stewardship Plan, App. A (Forest Inventory)
LLCOA Forest Stewardship Plan, App. B (Maps)
LLCOA Forest Stewardship Plan, App. C (NJ & Federal documents)

There’s often a lot going on in Forestry, and to help keep anyone who is interested up to date, you can download the current LLCOA Newsletter Forestry Report here: 2023 Forestry Report

As explained in detail in the 2023 Newsletter report, we have qualified to receive funding for our forestry work from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who funded our Habitat Project. To do this, we are enrolled in the NRCS “Environmental Quality Incentive Program” (EQIP), and this was possible because we converted our forestry activities from our older Woodland Management Plan to the new “Forest Stewardship Plan.” A fairly clear description of the history of New Jersey laws in this area and the differences between the two sorts of plans is in this document, coauthored by a lawyer and a forester:
NJ_Woodland_Stewardship&ManagementActs

Our new “Forest Stewardship Plan,” allows us more flexibility in our activities. For example, as long as we are working to improve the sustainability of the forest, we need not show income, although we may, if we choose to do a timber harvest. The Forestry Committee will work with Ridge & Valley to be sure the new Plan is consistent with the LLCOA’s needs and resources. The Forestry Committee, which currently consists of Dick Leigh (Chair), Paul French, Jeff Galloway, Feliks Kiselyuk, Ken Rosenfeld, and Dave Zavracky, is open to anyone who would like to join. Contact Dick at rwleigh@earthlink.net.

Finally, the Woodland Management Plan (above) has replaced the previous plan” which guided us for over twenty years. That plan was prepared by our previous forester, Duke Grimes, who has retired. If you are curious, you can download this previous plan here:
LLCOA Forest Stewardship Plan (Years 1990 – 2021)
Duke amended his plan in 2015 to incorporate the timber work and other activities associated with the Golden Winged Warbler Habitat Project, and that amendment is in this link:
Habitat Project Amendment to FSP