P.L. 2023, jr.005 (SJR110)

A Joint Resolution designating April of each year as “New Jersey Native Plants Month,” and repealing P.L.2016, J.R.11.

Whereas, Native plants are plants that have developed naturally, over the course of thousands of years, as an integral part of the balance of nature in a particular region or ecosystem, and which are essential to the continued health, diversity, and sustainability of that particular region or ecosystem; and

Whereas, Comparable to much larger states, New Jersey has more than 2,100 native plant species, including a diverse array of large shade trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, grasses, and wildflowers, that are each well-adapted to New Jersey’s soils, temperatures, precipitation levels, and other environmental conditions, therefore making these native plants the best option for conserving and protecting the State’s environment and enabling the State to adapt to ongoing environmental changes; and

Whereas, Several of New Jersey’s native plant species are rare, with nineteen globally rare plants having their largest or most viable populations in New Jersey and nine rare plants having been documented only in New Jersey, and not anywhere else on Earth; and

Whereas, Native plant species are a vital part of New Jersey’s history and heritage, and they provide valuable sources of food, medicine, and pharmaceuticals, as well as aesthetic, economic, and ecological benefits, to New Jersey’s residents and visitors; and

Whereas, Native fruits, like the blueberry and the cranberry, helped spur the development of the agricultural industry in New Jersey, and earned the State its nickname, “the Garden State”; and

Whereas, New Jersey’s preserved open space and farmland, which make up close to a third of the State’s total acreage and contain most of the State’s native plant species, provide an estimated $20 billion per year in ecosystem goods and services; and

Whereas, New Jersey’s nursery industry contributes over $440 million annually to the State’s agricultural output, with native plants being a continually growing segment of nursery production in the State and many of the State’s retail garden centers being locally supplied by New Jersey nurseries; and

Whereas, An interest in protecting New Jersey’s native plants has played a vital role in the creation of many parks in the State, including the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Pinelands National Preserve, and the Sandy Hook area of the Gateway National Recreation Area; and

Whereas, New Jersey’s native plant species provide food, such as nectar, pollen, seeds, and foliage, and prime habitat, including essential shelter and nesting sites, for various types of wildlife in the State, including, but not limited to, native birds, caterpillars, butterflies, and bees, in ways that non-native plants cannot, making the expanded cultivation of native plants in New Jersey a viable and effective means by which the State can both preserve its existing wildlife habitats and populations and effectively offset and mitigate any prior losses in wildlife habitat or populations that have occurred in the State as a result of development; and

Whereas, Native plants are vital to the State’s biodiversity and enable the State’s wildlife to prosper and engage in essential ecological and agricultural activities, such as seed dispersal, predation, and pollination; and

Whereas, Native plant species are able to flourish in the State with little care, with normal rainfall and little to no additional watering, with minimal fertilization, and, as a result of their naturally evolved defenses to locally present plant diseases, harmful insects, and other common pests, with the minimal use of polluting pesticides and herbicides; and

Whereas, Native plants protect the State against flooding and erosion, provide assistance with waste decomposition, nutrient cycling, and climate stabilization, are essential to the protection and maintenance of the State’s air, water, and soil quality; and can serve as means to restore degraded air, water, and soils in the State; and

Whereas, Despite the various benefits associated with native plants in New Jersey, according to the Department of Environmental Protection, 17 percent of New Jersey’s native plants are currently designated as endangered plant species at the State level, and the future survival of these and other native plants continues to be threatened by ongoing development, urbanization, pollution, and the presence of harmful invasive species in the State; and

Whereas, New Jersey, through the enactment of P.L.2016, J.R.11 (C.36:2-281 et seq.), previously designated the month of June, of each year, as “Native Plant Appreciation Month,” for many of the same reasons described herein; and

Whereas, For the past two consecutive years (in 2021 and 2022), the United States Senate has designated the month of April, of each year, as “National Native Plant Month” in order to recognize the importance of native plants to wildlife, people, the environment, and the United States economy. Although not guaranteed, it appears that the U.S. Senate is likely to renew this designation in calendar year 2023; and

Whereas, Based on the foregoing, it is both fitting and proper for the State to repeal the law that previously designated June as “Native Plant Appreciation Month” in New Jersey, and for the State, based on the same reasoning espoused in P.L.2016, J.R.11, as incorporated and expanded herein, to instead designate the month of April, of each year, as “New Jersey Native Plants Month” in the State, and to provide for the month to be observed, contemporaneously with “National Native Plant Month,” where applicable, with activities that are designed to both promote public awareness of the diversity and importance of native plants to the State and encourage the increased cultivation and restorative care thereof; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The month of April of each year shall be designated as “New Jersey Native Plants Month” in the State, both in order to promote the importance and benefits of native plants to New Jersey and its residents and in order to encourage the increased cultivation and ongoing regenerative care of native plants throughout the State.

2. The Governor is respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing April as “New Jersey Native Plants Month” and calling upon public officials, businesses, educational institutions, and citizens in the State to observe the month, in conjunction with their observation of “National Native Plant Month” where appropriate, by planting or providing regenerative care to native plants in the State, by removing non-native invasive plants from the State, by engaging in educational activities to learn about the benefits and importance of preserving New Jersey’s native plant stock, and by engaging in other appropriate activities and programs.

3. P.L.2016, J.R.11 (C.36:2-281 et seq.) is repealed.

4. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

For the past two consecutive years (in 2021 and 2022), the United States Senate has designated April of each year as “National Native Plant Month” in order to recognize the importance of native plants to wildlife, people, the environment, and the United States economy. Although not guaranteed, it also appears that the U.S. Senate is likely to renew this designation again in calendar year 2023. This joint resolution would similarly designate the month of April of each year as “New Jersey Native Plants Month” in order to encourage the increased cultivation and ongoing regenerative care of native plants throughout New Jersey and increase public awareness of the specific benefits that native plants provide to this State. The Governor would be requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the month and calling upon public officials, businesses, educational institutions, and citizens in the State to observe the month, in conjunction with their observation of “National Native Plant Month” (to the extent that such national month is so designated in each future year), by planting or providing regenerative care to native plants in the State, removing non-native invasive plants from the State, engaging in educational activities to learn about the benefits and importance of preserving New Jersey’s native plant stock, and engaging in other appropriate activities and programs.

“New Jersey Native Plants Month” would supplant and replace “Native Plants Appreciation Month,” which is currently observed, in the State, in June of each year. In designating April as “New Jersey Native Plants Month,” this joint resolution would incorporate, and would expand upon, the original findings that supported the State’s prior designation of June as “Native Plants Appreciation Month.” While the prior “Native Plants Appreciation Month” was designed to celebrate native plant diversity in the State and encourage citizens to learn more about native plants and how to protect them, “New Jersey Native Plants Month” will have an expanded and dual purpose, both to encourage the celebration, and improve public awareness of, the importance of native plants to the State and to encourage the increased cultivation and ongoing regenerative care of native plants throughout the State.

Native plants are plants that have developed naturally, over the course of thousands of years, as an integral part of the balance of nature in a particular region or ecosystem, and which are essential to the continued health, diversity, and sustainability of that particular region or ecosystem. New Jersey has more than 2,100 native plant species, including large shade trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, grasses, and wildflowers, that are each well-adapted to New Jersey’s soils, temperatures, precipitation levels, and other environmental conditions, therefore making these native plants the best option for conserving and protecting the State’s environment and enabling the State to adapt to ongoing environmental changes. New Jersey’s native plant species provide food, such as nectar, pollen, seeds, and foliage, and prime habitat, including essential shelter and nesting sites, for various types of wildlife in the State in ways that non-native plants cannot, making the expanded cultivation of native plants in New Jersey a viable means by which the State can both preserve its existing wildlife habitats and populations and offset and mitigate any prior habitat or population losses that have occurred in the State as a result of development. Moreover, native plant species are able to flourish in the State with little care, with normal rainfall and little additional watering, with minimal fertilization, and with the minimal use of polluting pesticides and herbicides.

Despite the various benefits associated with native plants, 17 percent of New Jersey’s native plants are currently designated as State-level endangered plant species. As a result, it is both reasonable and necessary for the State to encourage the increased cultivation of native plants, and to improve public awareness of the importance and benefits thereof, by designating April as “New Jersey Native Plants Month.”

Designates April of each year as “New Jersey Native Plants Month.”