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Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Management Updates and Upcoming Activities

 

March 8, 2022 Update:

Portion of Sparta Mountain WMA Temporarily Closed to the Public

In order to protect public safety, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife has closed a 40-acre section of Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area and 4,500 feet of trails in the vicinity of Edison Monument to complete a habitat management project requiring tree cutting and heavy equipment. Signs have been posted in the closed areas and New Jersey Conservation Police Officers will be enforcing the closures. The emergency closure is pursuant to N.J.S.A. 23:7-9 and N.J.A.C. 7:25-2.26 and is effective immediately through April 15, 2022.

NJ Fish and Wildlife regrets having to close the area off completely. We had hoped to let the area remain open in the evening and on weekends and only close off the minimum area needed on a particular workday. Unfortunately, spectators, set upon continually entering the work area, and disregarding posted signs, have created significant safety concerns. A map of the closed area is depicted below.

The specific area closed is the eastern portion of the Edison Monument parking lot and the trail stemming from that section of the parking lot, and a 40 acre area encompassing the worksite.

2022 Stand 9a Closure Map (pdf, 112kb)

January 31, 2022 Update:

In accordance with the July 2021 Addendum and the approved 2017 Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan, forest management activities in the form of a modified seed tree prescription will be implemented on 10 acres within Stand 18 next fall/winter (November 2022 - March 2023). This prescription will likely retain around 20 sq. ft. of basal area per acre across the 10-acre site to allow for the growth of young oak and hickory trees, blackberries, sedges, and a variety of other native shrub and sapling plants. This will also create breeding and/or foraging habitat for the 80 different bird species that have been observed using other managed sites on Sparta Mountain WMA, as well as help regenerate oak forests.

Trees to be retained will likely be the co-dominant or dominant size classes that are of good vigor for longevity. In some instances we may retain clusters of trees - some of which may not fit the above description if they have high wildlife value (i.e. stems with advanced decay, cavities or exfoliating bark). Desirable trees that are underrepresented in the area (e.g. white oak and black cherry) may also be retained for diversity purposes. Additionally, white ash stems that do not already exhibit characteristics of Emerald Ash Borer infestation may be preserved to retain genetic diversity in the event those individuals are resistant to the insect.

Links to the draft maps are below.

2022_23 Stand 18a Draft Map (pdf, 780kb)
2022_23 Stand 18a Draft Map Close (pdf, 775kb)
2022_23 Stand 18a Draft Map Close Buffers (pdf, 967kb)

Please note the draft location depicted in the maps is 19 acres in size and in compliance with the site-selection criteria (outside the buffers) outlined in the July 2021 Addendum. Management activities will occur only on 10 acres within the designated 19-acre area.

Work will begin on or around November 16, 2022. Any tree stands, blinds, or other items remaining in this area when work begins will be removed. For safety reasons, this area will be temporarily closed to unauthorized personnel while work is being conducted.

July 12, 2021 Update:

In accordance with the July 2021 Addendum and the approved 2017 Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan, forest management activities in the form of a shelterwood prescription will occur on 10 acres within Stand 9 this fall/winter (November 2021 - March 2022). This shelterwood prescription will likely retain about 20-30 large trees per acre and a residual basal area averaging around 40-50 square feet per acre. Links to the draft maps are below.

Stand 9a Draft Map (jpg, 805kb)
Stand 9a Draft Map Close (jpg, 763 kb)
Stand 9a Draft Map Close Buffers (jpg, 1mb)

Any tree stands, blinds, or other items remaining in this area when work begins will be removed. For safety reasons, this area will be temporarily closed to unauthorized personnel while work is being conducted.

July 9, 2021 Update:

The addendum to the 2017 Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan has been finalized and can be found here.

2021 COMPLETED ACTIVITY

February 5, 2021 Update:

Year 3 (2019-20) activities outlined in the approved Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan (pdf, 39mb) will begin on or about February 12, 2021. Young forest restoration will occur on approximately 9.2 acres in Stand 12. Any tree stands, blinds, or other items remaining in this area when work begins will be removed. For safety reasons, this area will be temporarily closed to unauthorized personnel while work is being conducted.

The objective of this restoration is to open the forest canopy to allow for the growth of young oak and hickory trees, blackberries, sedges, and a variety of other shrubs and sapling species. This will creating breeding and/or foraging habitat for the 80 different bird species that have been observed using other managed sites on Sparta Mountain WMA. This management will also help regenerate the oak forests, which are being replaced by shade-tolerant trees less suited to warmer conditions expected with climate change.
Stand 12 Forestry Practice Plan - (pdf, 4.2mb)
Stand 12 Location Map

2020 COMPLETED ACTIVITY

Stand 8 Young Forest Restoration: The Division continued to work with NJ Highlands Coalition and Friends of Sparta Mountain/NJ Forest Watch while still meeting the objective to restore young oak-hickory forest. To meet these objectives, we opened the canopy to allow for the growth of young oak and hickory trees, blackberries, sedges, and a variety of other shrubs and sapling species, thus creating breeding and/or foraging habitat for more than 60 different bird species, including the endangered Golden-winged Warbler. Approximately 9.1 acres were treated.
Stand 8 Practice Plan and Maps (pdf, 6.0mb)

2019 COMPLETED ACTIVITY

Stand 18 Young Forest Restoration: The Division has been working alongside NJ Highlands Coalition and Friends of Sparta Mountain/NJ Forest Watch to modify this project while still meeting the objective to restore young oak-hickory forest. To meet these objectives, we will be opening the canopy to allow for the growth of young oak and hickory trees, blackberries, sedges, and a variety of other shrubs and sapling species, thus creating breeding and/or foraging habitat for more than 60 different bird species, including the endangered Golden-winged Warbler. Approximately 9.4 acres within a 12.2-acre area will be treated.
Stand 18 Practice Plan, Revised - Updated 02/04/19 (pdf, 125kb)
Location Maps - Revised 02/04/19 (pdf, 3.9mb)

2018 COMPLETED ACTIVITY

Stand 33 Restore Old Growth Structure: The management objective is to accelerate old growth attributes within a forest type that is better suited to developing a climax forest. This is accomplished through a process known as "gap-phase replacement", which mimics the natural processes of an old-growth forest. Through the creation of small canopy gaps and growth of younger cohorts of shade-tolerant trees, this stand will contain three or more age classes at any given time. Approximately 17 acres.
Activity Description and Treatment Maps - Updated 11/13/18 (pdf, 855kb)
Location Map - Revised 9/28/18

Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan (pdf, 39mb)
Addendum to the 2017 Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan (pdf, 300kb)
Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan Implementation
Sparta Mountain WMA Forest Stewardship Plan Homepage

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Department of Environmental Protection
P.O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

Last Updated: March 08, 2021