Urges DEP, Pinelands Commission, and Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council to engage in alternative forest management practices during periods of drought when prescribed burning is unsafe.

This Assembly Resolution (AR 180) urges New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Pinelands Commission, and Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council to use alternative forest management practices - like ecological thinning - during droughts when prescribed burning is unsafe. It directly affects these state environmental agencies responsible for managing forest lands, which cover 40% of New Jersey and provide critical environmental, economic, and recreational benefits. The resolution notes that drought conditions, worsened by climate change, prevent safe prescribed burning (a tool that reduces wildfire risk), making alternatives necessary to maintain forest health and reduce wildfire threats. It specifically references the 2024 wildfire season, which saw 1,380 fires burning over 10,000 acres during extended drought. The bill does not create new law but formally requests these agencies adopt alternative practices during unsafe burning periods.