=Forests.=--When the state was first settled it was covered with a vast
primeval forest, consisting of pine, oak, maple, chestnut, hickory,
ash, walnut, tulip, poplar, and cedar. For many years lumbering was
an important industry, but it ceased a long time ago, after the best
timber had been cut down. In the northern part of the state, where
agriculture is difficult or impossible, the mountains are still covered
with forests which promise to be of great value in the future. In the
southern part, the section called "The Pines" is covered with stunted
pines mingled with scrub oak. In all parts of the state are isolated
forested areas of varied extent. About forty per cent of the total land
surface of the state is covered with forest growth.
Until a very recent period no organized efforts were made to protect
forest trees against forest fires or other destructive agencies, or
to provide for reforestation. The state has, however, realized the
commercial value of its forests and the importance of promoting their
growth on lands that are not available for farming purposes. The
state has also recognized the value of forests in preventing floods
(Secs. 93, 136, 224). In recent years an additional reason for forest
protection is the necessity of preserving the soils of the forested
areas in the drainage basins from which the cities obtain their supply
of water, so that by the storage of water in the soils and underlying
rock strata the supply may at all times be constant and sufficient.
The use of trees for shade and wind breaks and their natural beauty
also justify their protection and care. For these reasons the state has
adopted legislation which provides for the growth of trees and forests.
It owns and maintains six forest reserves located in different parts
of the state, containing nearly 14,000 acres, which are being devoted
to forest culture. It has authorized the counties to create extensive
parks and has provided for the diffusion of important information
regarding the care of forests. It maintains lookout stations from which
forest fires may be detected, and a force of firewardens to prevent or
extinguish fires and to arrest those who cause them. This state and
New York, acting together, have created the Palisades Interstate Park,
which embraces thousands of acres of forest land in the latter state
and the Palisades for a distance of twelve miles along the Hudson in
New Jersey.
[Illustration: Shipping tomatoes, Swedesboro]
=Animals.=--The larger wild animals have practically disappeared,
although the red deer is still frequently found in the northern and
southern parts of the state because of the protection afforded this
animal by the laws. Here are, also, still many of the smaller animals,
such as the rabbit and squirrel. In many parts of the state wild ducks
and quail are numerous.
The fresh-water streams and lakes abound in bass, trout, pickerel, and
perch. In the spring the shad fisheries along the Delaware are very
profitable. The catch of sturgeon is also very large. All these waters
are constantly restocked by means of the hatcheries near Hackettstown
which the state maintains. The shad fisheries of the Hudson were
formerly extensive, but owing chiefly to destructive methods of fishing
and to the pollution of the river this industry has practically
disappeared.
The sheltered bays and inlets of the state and the nearness of the
fisheries to the markets have made the salt water fisheries very
successful. Bluefish and weakfish for food, and menhaden for oil and
fertilizer are caught along the coast in large quantities, while
in the bays and coves immense quantities of oysters and clams are
gathered. Important centers of this industry are Keyport, Barnegat Bay,
Tuckerton, Absecon, Maurice River Cove, and Bivalve.