New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 16 - TRANSPORTATION
Chapter 41F - VEGETATION CANOPY MANAGEMENT
Subchapter 2 - DEFINITIONS
Section 16:41F-2.1 - Definitions
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"ANSI A300 Standards" means the accepted industry standards for tree care practices developed by the American National Standards Institute. The ANSI A300 Standards, which are incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, can be found at http://tcia.org/business/ansi-a300-standards.
"Applicant" means the holder of a valid outdoor advertising permit issued pursuant to N.J.A.C. 16:41C who seeks approval to implement a VCM Plan to allow or improve the visibility of an off-premise outdoor advertising sign.
"Cleaning" means selective pruning to remove only dead or broken branches.
"Crown" means the leaves and branches of a tree measured from the lowest branch on the trunk to the top of the tree.
"Crown raising" means the removal of lower tree limbs to allow clearance or visibility beneath the tree crown while maintaining the natural symmetry of the tree.
"Crown reduction" "or reduction" means selective pruning to decrease height or spread of the crown.
"Crown thinning" or "thinning" means selective pruning to reduce the density of live branches.
"Department" means the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
"Flood hazard area" means as defined by N.J.A.C. 7:13-1.
"Hardwood" means trees, usually with deciduous leaves, including examples such as Ash, Beech, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Oak, Plum, Poplar, Sweetgum, and Willow, with notable broadleaf evergreen exceptions, such as Magnolia.
"Historic site" means as defined by the New Jersey Register of Historic Places Act, 13:1B-15.1 28 et seq.
"Historic trees" means trees identified by the Community Forestry Program of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Division of Parks and Forestry.
"No Net Loss Reforestation Act" means a law that requires State entities to replant trees when they are removed during development projects at least one-half acre in size pursuant to 13:1L-14.1 et seq.
"Pruning" means the selective removal of plant parts without damaging the natural symmetry of the vegetation or having a negative effect on its long-term health by cleaning, thinning, raising, or reduction.
"Removal" or "removed" means the elimination of trees or other vegetation. "Riparian zone" means as defined by N.J.A.C. 7:13-1.
"ROW" means right-of-way.
"Scenic and historic highways" means any highway, or portion thereof, designated for inclusion in the New Jersey Scenic and Historic Highways Program in accordance with 27:5K-1 et seq.
"Scenic byway" means any highway, or portion thereof, that has been nominated or designated as a scenic byway by the Department. A list of scenic byways is available on the Department's website at www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuity/scenic/.
"Scenic corridor" means any highway, or portion thereof, that has been designated as a scenic corridor by the Department as found at N.J.A.C. 16:41C.
"Threatened or endangered species habitat" means habitat protected under 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 et seq., and 23:2A-3.
"Trim" or "trimming" means the same as pruning.
"VCM" means vegetation canopy management.
"VCM distance" means a horizontal dimension of vegetation based on the official highway speed, designed to create a viewing time of approximately 3.9 to 5.4 seconds for approaching motorists.
"VCM height" means the vertical dimension of the vegetation canopy management area.
"Vegetation" means all woody and herbaceous plants either naturally occurring or planted.
"Vegetation canopy" means the leaf and stem area of plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees.
"Vegetation Canopy Management Plan" or "VCM Plan" means a plan by which existing vegetation within State highway ROW is reconfigured through pruning, selective removal, supplemental plantings, and other means, to produce and maintain a vegetation canopy that has sufficient horizontal and vertical dimension to allow visibility of outdoor advertising signs, but which also maintains a vegetated corridor for the motorist.
"Wetlands or Wetland Transition Areas" means as defined by N.J.A.C. 7:7A.
"Zone of visual influence" means the area from which an outdoor advertising sign is visible to a motorist as illustrated by N.J.A.C. 16:41F Appendix 3, Figures 1, 2, and 3 and Table 2.
