In the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is an administrative division of the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staff o ...
. In its most visible role, the Division is directly responsible for the management and operation of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
's public park system which includes 42 state parks, 11 state forests, 3 recreation areas, and more than 50 historic sites and districts. However, its duties also include protecting state and private lands from wildfire, managing forests, educating the public about environmental stewardship and natural resources, as well as growing trees to maintain and restore forests in rural and urban areas, and to preserve the diversity of the trees within the forests.
NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry
Retrieved 24 April 2015.
The cultural and natural heritage of New Jersey is reflected in the diversity of its public parks, forests, and historic sites. The division is the steward of the historic homes, landscapes and battlefields where George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
and the Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
spent almost half of the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
History
* 1905: Forest Park Reservation Commission founded by Governor Edward C. Stokes.
* 1915: (April 8) Department and Board of Conservation and Development created, Forest Park Reservation Commission and other agencies merged into it.
* 1923: State Park Service formed.
* 1945: Department and Board of Conservation and Development became Division of Forestry, Geology, Parks and Historic Sites, Department of Conservation.; consisted of Division of Forests and Parks, of which the State Forester was chief, and the Division of Geology and Topography, in charge of the State Geologists. The Department also administered the State Museum, the abandoned Morris Canal, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
* Historic Sites dropped from name in 1947, division absorbed into Division of Planning and Development, Department of Conservation and Economic Development.
* 1961, Name changed to the Division of Resource Development.
* 1961: Restored Division of Parks, Forestry and Recreation in Department of Conservation and Economic Development. Bureau of Forestry managed the State forests, growing trees for reforestation projects and stationing fire wardens throughout the State. The Bureau of Parks and Recreation maintained and operated the State Forests, Parks, and Historic Sites; Office of Natural Lands Management created.
* 1966: (May 27) Division of Parks, Forestry and Recreation was re-established in the Department of Conservation and Economic Development and authorized to develop, improve, protect, manage and administer all State forests, parks, recreation areas, historic sites, and natural areas.
* 1967: New Jersey Historic Trust established.
* 1967: (June 21) Historic Sites Council was established within the Division of Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
* 1968: New Jersey Natural Lands Trust established.
* 1970: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection created (April 22) by Governor Cahill
* 1971: The Division of Parks, Forestry and Recreation joined the new Department of Environmental Protection and was designated the Division of Parks and Forestry in 1971.
Agencies
New Jersey State Park Service
The State Park Service was organized in 1923 to manage three state parks, including with "four new employees in supervisory capacity and five others as helpers in subordinate positions" and between two and six additional laborers were used for special seasonal work from time to time. Today, the agency manages over 40 protected areas designated as state parks, state forests, recreation areas, marinas, and historic sites.
New Jersey Forest Service
New Jersey Forest Fire Service
Founded in 1906 with a focus on wildland fire suppression
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...
and fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as we ...
, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) is an Government agency, agency within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Founded in 1906 with a focus on Wildfire suppression, wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the Fores ...
is the largest firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
department within the state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of New Jersey in the United States with 85 full-time professional civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
positions, and approximately 2,000 trained part-time on-call wildland firefighters throughout the state. Its mission is to protect "life and property, as well as the state's natural resources, from wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
."[New Jersey Forest Fire Service]
"About Us"
Retrieved 19 April 2015. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service covers a primary response area of 3.72 million acres comprising 77% of the state's land area and administered by three regional divisions. This primary response area includes the state's rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...
and suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
an areas, as well as its public state parks and forests. In 2014, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service responded to 1,063 wildfire events that destroyed 6,692 acres. The service conducted controlled burn
A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...
s or prescribed burns on 15,326 acres statewide.[State of New Jersey, Department of the Treasury, Office of Management and Budget]
State of New Jersey Fiscal Year 2016 Detailed Budget
February 24, 2015, page D-113 to D-115. Note: the budget appropriation of $8,775,000 is for "Forest Resource Management" which includes the Forest Fire Service appropriation and other programmes directed by the Division of Parks and Forestry, and enumerates $2,259,000 for specifically "Fire Fighting Costs".
New Jersey Office of Natural Lands Management
New Jersey State Park Police
Historic Preservation Office
See also
* List of New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire towers
In order to aid its efforts in wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service operates a system of 21 fire towers at locations throughout the state of New Jersey in the United States.New Jersey Forest Fire Service ...
References
External links
NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry
{{authority control
Parks and Forestry