Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) Any individual who meets the qualifications of (c) below may apply for inclusion on the List of Approved Foresters by submitting an application to the New Jersey Forest Service in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:3-1.4
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(b) An application submitted pursuant to (a) above shall include:
1. A completed and signed application on a form obtained from the Department. The form is available electronically at
www.forestry.nj.gov and a paper copy may be requested from the New Jersey Forest Service at the address at
N.J.A.C. 7:3-1.4(a). The information to be submitted on or with the application form includes the following:
i. The name, address, telephone number and email address (if available) of the applicant;
ii. A list of education and/or training completed demonstrating the applicant's fulfillment of the requirements at (c)1 below; and
iii. A history of experience demonstrating the applicant's fulfillment of the requirements at (c)2 below;
2. A certified copy of the applicant's transcript from each post-secondary school the applicant attended; and
3. Copies of two plans prepared by the applicant. A plan may be a woodland management plan prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 18:15-2.10, a forest stewardship plan prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:3-5, or a Federal guidelines plan, or an equivalent plan prepared for a property in another state.
(c) The minimum qualifications an applicant shall demonstrate are the following:
1. Education that includes one of the following earned (not honorary) degrees:
i. A bachelor's degree from a college or university in a forest management or equivalent forestry program that is accredited by the Society of American Foresters;
ii. A bachelor's degree from Rutgers-the State University in the forest management option within the natural resource management curriculum awarded no later than 2007; or
iii. A graduate degree from a college or university in a program that the Department determines to be at least equivalent to the bachelor's degree programs referenced at (c)1i above; and
2. Two years' experience in forest management or equivalent employment, beginning not earlier than the time of registration for the degree program specified pursuant to (c)1 above, including:
i. Preparing woodland management plans, forest stewardship plans, Federal guidelines plans, and/or equivalent plans prepared for property in another state; and
ii. Carrying out management practices commonly included in such plans, such as thinning, planting, invasive species control, and/or the harvesting and marketing of forest products.
(d) Prior to approving an application, the Department shall require an applicant to demonstrate a basic knowledge of farmland assessment and how an owner can qualify a property's forest land for valuation, assessment, and taxation under farmland assessment.
(e) The Department shall notify the applicant in writing of the approval or denial of the application for inclusion on the List of Approved Foresters. If the Department approves the application, the name of the applicant shall be entered on the List of Approved Foresters. If the Department denies the application, the notification shall include the basis for the Department's denial and inform the applicant of the procedure to request an adjudicatory hearing on the denial in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:3-3.9.
