ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 699

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 16, 2025

      The Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 699 SCS.

      This bill directs the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) to establish a program for the acquisition of development easements on privately-owned woodlands.  The purpose of the program would be to promote the preservation and stewardship of lands for agricultural, silvicultural, and horticultural use and production, and to protect the State's forested lands.

      To be eligible for inclusion in the new development easement program, a woodland would be required to:

      (1) be at least 20 acres in size;

      (2) be devoted, in whole or in part, to either agricultural production or the production for sale of tree or forest products; and

      (3) for those areas not in agricultural production, be managed by the landowner in accordance with a forest stewardship plan approved pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2009, c.256 (C.13:1L-31), a woodland management plan approved pursuant to section 3 of the "Farmland Assessment Act of 1964," P.L.1964, c.48 (C.54:4-23.3), or a plan approved pursuant to the federal Forest Stewardship Program administered by the United States Forest Service.

      The appraisal process for development easements under the program would be the same as that for farmland under the provisions of subsection e. of section 8 of P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), which were recently revised by P.L.2023, c.245.  Under the program, the SADC would be authorized to use constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to fund the acquisition of development easements, provided that the use is consistent with the "Preserve New Jersey Act," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.) and the State Constitution.  Grants distributed by the SADC would be authorized to cover up to 80 percent of the costs of acquisition of a development easement by a local government unit or nonprofit organization.

      As reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 699 SCS is identical to Assembly Bill No. 682, which was also reported by the committee on this date.