Lebanon Township adopts Forest Stewardship plan for Anthony Preserve, adds recommendation to explore prescribed burning

The Lebanon Township Committee voted Nov. 5 to adopt the Lebanon Township Municipal Forest Stewardship Master Plan for Anthony Preserve, approving final revisions recommended after public review.

Sharon Petzinger, chair of the Environmental Open Space Commission, told the committee the planning board reviewed the documents and unanimously endorsed them and that the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, a co-owner of the property, submitted final comments that were incorporated. She said most edits were minor but that "one substantive change was done to the plan, and that was the insertion of a new goal ... to explore the possibility of prescribed burning in the township." Petzinger said the addition was intended to make "all the tools in the toolbox" available for forest guidance.

The plan’s adoption follows a public hearing and an extended public comment period that began in July and remained open through September for revisions. Committee members thanked the commission and planners for the work to move the long-running project to completion.

Committee members noted the endorsement from planning authorities and that the plan will inform future management decisions for town-owned open space. The committee approved the resolution to adopt the plan by roll call.

The resolution’s adoption does not itself authorize specific prescribed burns or other interventions; Petzinger said the recommendation is a planning-level change to allow the township to consider prescribed burning as one possible management tool and that implementation would require additional planning, permits and contractor selection.

Next steps cited by the commission include publishing the final plan, coordinating with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority on co-owned parcels, and using the plan to guide future grant applications for restoration and forest maintenance.