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If you have a smartphone, the power to protect the natural heritage of New Jersey is at your fingertips! You can use it to help stop the spread of invasive plants, animals and even pathogens that threaten the natural systems and economy of the Garden State.
New Jersey
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Spotlights
Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space; New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team.
New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
Emerald Ash Borer was discovered in New Jersey in May 2014 in Somerset County, and as of October 2015 has also been found in Bergen, Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties. Infestations throughout the U.S. and Canada have killed tens of millions of ash trees since 2002. Report signs of the beetle to the Department of Agriculture at 609-406-6939.
Rutgers University. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
In the U.S., spotted lanternfly is an invasive species that could be very devastating to some New Jersey crops and hardwood trees. New Jersey populations were first detected in 2018 and are currently primarily distributed along the state's border with Pennsylvania. In response, the NJ Department of Agriculture has issued an eight-county quarantine. People and businesses travelling in and out of these counties (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, Somerset, and Warren) should inspect their vehicles for hitchhiking SLF as well as inspect outdoor items such as firewood, paving stones, lawn equipment, etc. for egg masses (see checklist (PDF | 222 KB)). Quarantine compliance will reduce the spread of SLF to new areas and counties thereby protecting New Jersey resources including forests and agriculture. To help survey efforts, please report sightings (with photograph) to slanternfly@njaes.rutgers.edu.
State Specific Threats
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Includes invasive species by category for insects, diseases, plants, and animals.
See also: Invasive Species Status Report by Congressional District
DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Provides fact sheets, maps and collection information for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates occurring outside of their native range.
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS). National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS).
Provides State pest detection contacts, recent state exotic pest news, links to state pest resources, and a list of state CAPS survey targets.
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
See also: Includes also Federal Noxious Weed List and Federal and State Noxious Weeds -- Composite (summary of noxious status for all the listed plants in the U.S.)
Selected Resources
The section below contains highly relevant resources for this subject, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for New Jersey
Council or Task Force
State and Local Government
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Academic
Rutgers State University of New Jersey. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
Rutgers University. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
A collection of photos and descriptions of agricultural weeds found in New Jersey.