Our New Jersey Forests Are Not ‘in need of redevelopment’

Heidi Yeh, Special to USA TODAY Network

How does one "redevelop" a forest? The answer to this question could determine the fate of 718 acres of forest in Pemberton Township. The Pole Branch Forest, and many other undeveloped tracts of land in South Jersey, are threatened by a law originally meant to transform "blighted" areas. We need a legislative fix for the loopholes that are causing undeveloped forests and fields in South Jersey to be "redeveloped" into sprawling subdivisions, strip malls and warehouses.