27:7-42.2 Findings, declarations relative to an "Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program."
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. It is in the public interest of the State of New Jersey to ensure that the roadsides in New Jersey are safe, ecologically integrated, and useful for many purposes;
b. Roadsides serve as physical barriers, sound barriers, and highway beautifiers and provide refuge for many animals, insects, and plants native to New Jersey;
c. A coordinated effort by the State and public and private entities to include native plants and wildflowers in the management of the roadsides will create biodiversity, improve scenic value, preserve wildlife habitats, prevent soil erosion, and provide other environmental benefits to the State; and
d. It is altogether fitting and proper for the Legislature to establish an "Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program" within the Department of Transportation, to encourage the preservation and repopulation of native plants and wildflowers along the roadsides of New Jersey.
L.2017, c.44, s.1.