The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse property is an important asset to the community of North Wildwood. The grounds serve as an educational and historic interpretive resource, a protective buffer from storms, habitat to wildlife, and an aesthetically appealing location for passive recreation. Unfortunately, portions of the property are dominated by invasive vegetation and damaging vines that jeopardize the aforementioned beneficial assets and reduce the ecological value of the site. The proliferation of invasive species, including Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), and bamboo species, does not reflect the City’s interests or the goals and objectives for vegetation management on public lands. Concentrations of invasive vegetation and uncontrolled damaging vines, which outcompete and displace the diverse native species common to barrier islands and maritime forests, foster ecological risk throughout the community.
Through direct consultation with the tree experts of Lomax Environmental Consulting and through direct approval from three (3) separate departments of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP): Office of Leases and Concessions, Historic Preservation Office, and the Division of Land Uses Regulation, the City of North Wildwood is in the midst of a Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Garden Vegetation Management and Landscape improvement Plan.
The Plan will be completed in phases and includes the removal of invasive species (such as the Japanese Black Pine) and the replanting of native species of trees and vegetation consistent with recommended plantings referenced in the City of North Wildwood’s Community Forestry and Public Lands Vegetation Management Plans. Phase One (1) is the removal of Japanese Black Pines (JBPs) to be replaced by some Eastern Red Cedar and Chinese Juniper.
For additional information and to view the NJDEP approved plans, please click on any of the following links for download.
