JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 11
A JOINT RESOLUTION designating June of each year as “Native Plant Appreciation Month”
in New Jersey.
WHEREAS, Native plant species are a vital part of New Jersey’s heritage, providing valuable
aesthetic, economic, and ecological benefits to State residents; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey possesses approximately 2,100 native plant species, a number that is
comparable to states that are three to four times larger; and
WHEREAS, This diverse native flora includes hundreds of different wildflowers, like violets and
orchids, as well as many different trees, shrubs, grasses, and ferns; and
WHEREAS, Nineteen globally rare plants have their largest or most viable populations in New
Jersey, and nine plants have been documented only in New Jersey and do not occur anywhere
else on Earth; and
WHEREAS, Some of the State’s rare plants include the world’s largest population of Torrey’s
mountain mint, a globally-rare orchid called small whorled pogonia, swamp pink, Hirst’s
panic grass, and the only population of American chaffseed located north of the Carolinas;
and
WHEREAS, New Jersey’s floristic diversity is due in large part to its geographical diversity,
which includes the mountainous Highlands in the north, the sandy Pine Barrens in the south,
the rich Delaware River Valley in the west, and the salt marshes of the Atlantic Coast; and
WHEREAS, Native fruits like the blueberry and the cranberry helped spur the development of the
agricultural industry in New Jersey, and earned the State its nickname “the Garden State”; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey’s preserved open space and farmland, which make up close to a third of
the State’s total acreage and contain most of the State’s native plant species, provide an
estimated $20 billion per year in ecosystem goods and services; and
WHEREAS, An interest in protecting New Jersey’s native plants has played a vital role in the
creation of many parks in the State, including the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation
Area, the Pinelands National Preserve, and the Sandy Hook area of the Gateway National
Recreation Area; and
WHEREAS, Native plants are vital to the State’s biodiversity, which provides inhabitants with
food, maintenance of water and air quality, waste decomposition and soil generation, nutrient
cycling, climate stabilization, flood and erosion control, and medicines and pharmaceuticals;
and
WHEREAS, Native plants also provide food and shelter for native wildlife and insects, which in
turn, perform essential ecological and agricultural services such as seed dispersal, predation,
and pollination; and
WHEREAS, Studies have shown that New Jersey is rapidly losing its native plants, with roughly
one-third of those plants designated as endangered or of special concern by the State’s Natural
Heritage Program; and
WHEREAS, Threats to native plants include habitat destruction caused by development and
urbanization, pollution, and harmful invasive plant species; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey’s nursery industry contributes over $440 million annually to the State’s
agricultural output, with native plants being a continually growing segment of nursery
production in the State, and many of the State’s retail garden centers are supplied locally by
New Jersey nurseries; and
WHEREAS, By observing “Native Plant Appreciation Month,” the State recognizes the important
role of native plants in the ecosystem, and encourages its residents to learn more about native
plants, their habitats, and how to protect them; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
P.L.2016, Joint Resolution No. 11
2
C.36:2-281 “Native Plant Appreciation Month,” June; designated.
1. June of each year is designated as “Native Plant Appreciation Month” in order to
celebrate the diversity and value of New Jersey’s native plants, recognize the critical role of
native plants in the ecosystem, and encourage citizens to learn more about native plants and
how to protect them.
C.36:2-282 Annual observance.
2. The Governor may annually issue a proclamation encouraging citizens of this State to
observe “Native Plant Appreciation Month” with appropriate programs and activities, and to
support local nurseries by buying native plants.
3.
This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
Approved December 5, 2016.