New Jersey Needs to Ban Exotic/Invasive Plant Sales.

New Jersey Needs to Ban Exotic/Invasive Plant Sales
Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats.

"Invasives have contributed to the decline of almost half of all imperiled species in the US."

"Each year invasive species gobble up an area larger than the State of Delaware"

"The 2nd greatest threat to US Forest is the spread of unwanted invasive species" (first in fire; but not in NJ forest)

America Where are you now?

How many of us realize when we're in the outdoors in some Park or Wildlife area, we are most of the time seeing a landscape virtually transformed by plants that are not in fact original in their origins in our American Landscapes? Most forest in NJ were cut down at least 3 times since before the Civil War; for farming and Iron Mining. This made the recurring forest lands vulnerable to invasives coming into the Country from trade and garden enthusiast, an unintended consequence of foreign species Succession over nature plants, a phenomena known as Competitive exclusion. The once balance of Coevolution of a Complex system which works in unison one component supporting the other was eroded or lost due to simplifying the system of self organization of the complex system being effected by the new invader. The increased levels of disturbance allowed the invasive to dominate the ecology and decrease the biodiversity of the biosphere.

The idea of goal should then be to find such places that can be enhanced and brought into life again in recruiting these native species. The private sales of exotic or invasive species should in the very least be forbidden in New Jersey as in near and surrounding States.

Why is New Jersey A Lone Star or Lone Blackhole?
Naturalists argue that New Jersey should follow the lead of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire by banning the cultivation, sale or use of such popular landscaping species as burning bush, Japanese or common barberry, golden bamboo, Norway maple and Japanese angelica tree, among others.

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Speaks Out.
Your email regarding NYNJTC supporting legislature to ban the sale of invasive plants made it’s way to me, and I’m absolutely in. I have done work to get additional species listed on New York’s Part 575, the prohibited and regulated species list. Prevention is the #1 way to stop invasive species and the ornamental landscaping industry is a major pathway for invasion. It baffles me that this legislation is not already in place – there is no longer any excuse to sell invasive species. I have strong opinions about this and am willing to help in whatever capacity is needed (research, writing letters of support, attending working group or legislative meetings, etc). I will note that my schedule keeps me pretty busy, particularly in May through October. Please keep me in the loop as you continue to coordinate this effort.

*Terrestrial Invasive Species Project ManagerNew York-New Jersey Trail Conference

One Hand is not Washing the Other:
New Jersey currently does not have legislation in place that bans the sale of certain plant species considered to be noxious and/or invasive, unlike PA, NY and so on. New legislation (Bill S0500, 2020; https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2020/S0500/83_I1.PDF) has recently been introduced to promote and encourage the sale of native species at plant retail centers and nurseries, however the same retailers are not prohibited from selling species such as Japanese barberry, etc. The NJDEP is currently reviewing plans on implementing a state-wide invasive species (IS) strategy (aligned with the 2009 NJ Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species) covering a wide range of priorities, including slowing the introduction and proliferation of invasive plant species.

Ending Sales would surely help prevent further infestations

As a Volunteer in Parks over 45+ years and a Member of the NY/NJ Trail Conference and the Highlands Coalition I may attest to the “fighting the wind or almost impossible mission of curtailing Invasive in our Parklands. Only a mass awareness and efforts from all concerned can have any hope in enhancing remaining sensitive places of native spies and preventing further infestations; An military force effort would suffice, but it appears a return of a CCC type labor force subsidized by Washington through a “Build Back Better” initiative is not in the stars. In reality there is work here forever for a subsidized workforce of Government Agency.

The very least that can be done however in honoring workforces that volunteer or or paid in this endeavor.It is for State Authority to Ban the sales of these Anti-American infestations of our Landscapes.
Here in our home of Northern New Jersey in places like Wildcat Ridge, Split Rock, Pyramid Mountain, Delaware Water Gap for example Barberry , Burning Bush and Knotweed prevail.
On a recent trip to the Council Tree in Walpack NJ, a tree over 500 years still living within the National Park, The tree stands near an old homestead and an Indian Rock Shelter the entrusted land in sadly dominated as other components of the Federal Lands infested with barberry. These “special places” can be enhanced by funding a workforce in curtailing and eliminating these foreign infestations; sadly funding is not forthcoming.

Page 67 Controlling Exotic Introductions. The Once and Future Forest..Leslie Jones Sauer
If we want to restore the ecosystems we depend upon, we cannot plant species that have demonstrated themselves to be successful invaders at the expense of native habitats. Even following this proscription, which addresses introduced planted material only, would not in any way preclude invasions by accidental means. Because too little is known about many exotics, we strongly urge that planting in and adjacent to natural areas be confined to locally native species. Where greater diversity is desired, efforts should be concentrated on reintroducing native species that are a absent or diminished in abundance and unavailable in the trade.

Ecological Patriotism aka Paradigm lacking. In too many ways the USDA & APHIS has failed US. New Jersey needs it's own State Invasive Plant Sales Ban!
How much of our once Natural Beauty aka Biodiversity have we already allowed to disappear? These Invasive type Plant Sales by Nurseries or Large Corporate Gardening Landscape Companies only help in accelerating this demise of our American Landscapes and infect the integrity of any remaining indigenous prime core ecologies of biodiversity remaining . Many of these exotic invaders are "strongly allelopathic"that is they suppress the growth of other plant species through the release of toxic substances in the soil. Reproduction of other species comes to a halt. Recruitment of native species becomes near forever impossible, extensive areas of old established herbaceous plant colonies; perhaps thousands of years of age become impeded and decimated. These Invasive Exotic Species Sales become Multipliers in the Demise of any "remaining American forest or meadows ecosystems".

Governor's Recent Speech on next Four Years

Meaning of Patriotism; If Not Loving Caring for the Land, Then What ?
Help make america; America again, even if it takes a 1000 years. Plenty of work in Ecological Endeavors to Last a Life-time..Sad build back better has rejected a CCC Citizens Climate Core.

Governor Murphy Recent Speech on next 4-years January 2022
To drive home his point, Murphy cited a speech by then Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson 70 years earlier during the height of McCarthyism in which Stevenson argued the a nation needed “a patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
“We need this patriotism again,” said Murphy. “Shouting about how much you love your country is no substitute for showing how you love our country. Voting is a patriotic act. Opening doors of opportunity for those who have been kept out is a patriotic act. Standing for fairness is a patriotic act. Ensuring good government is a patriotic act.”
“Let’s make New Jersey the proof that the ongoing American Experiment is not about to come to an end,” he added. “After all, to be an American is a privilege—to be a New Jerseyan is an honor.”

New Jersey Requires a concurrent law as the other States have in our region to Ban Exotic/Invasive Plant species. Private Property must not stand as the end of community; or the opposite of it. Community being all life forms in the Bio-Organic Web that connects us all.

From Garden State to the State of Barberry ,and Knotweed, New Jersey’s Landuse History of past deforestation and recurring forest succession now occurring should of banned Invasives’s like barberry long ago, to insure it’s remaining "historical indigenous biodiversity" unique right to life's present future sustainability.

Note:

Q3: Does Highlands Council Consider invasives in their planning assessments?
Yes, the planting of invasive plant species is prohibited for all development projects in the Highlands region.
Q4: Are any efforts of legislation pending on Invasive Plant sales and landscape zoning by New Jersey?
As mentioned in the response to Q1, there is no legislation pending that would prohibit invasive plant species sales in NJ.
Joseph J. Bilinski, Research Scientist

Write your State Legislatures, Governor and NJDEP; Ban Exotic Invasive Plant Sales. Keep The Green Real. Ban Invasive/Exotic Plant Sales in New Jersey. Are the outdoors in New Jersey simply some vacuum to go to and recreate where nature doesn't matter?

send email to: shawn.latourette@dep.nj.gov