Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Brass Castle, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Brass Castle, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Brass Castle, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
By Laura OltmanThe March 5 article regarding logging of Roaring Rock Park in Washington Township accurately portrayed some key points made during the special meeting on the logging plan held by the township committee. The forester who created the park logging plan spoke at length about it. A forest ecology professor from Drew University debated the alleged ecol...
By Laura Oltman
The March 5 article regarding logging of Roaring Rock Park in Washington Township accurately portrayed some key points made during the special meeting on the logging plan held by the township committee. The forester who created the park logging plan spoke at length about it. A forest ecology professor from Drew University debated the alleged ecological benefit of logging a forest. I am not an expert in biology or forestry and won’t speak to these topics, but I have read the forestry plan and I know what it says. In the public record of discussion about the park and in the forestry plan itself, the clearly stated goal of logging is to sell wood products. The forestry firm will earn 20% plus fees from the harvest and a logging company will be paid to carry out logging.
The most important topic concerning Roaring Rock Park is government turning over public trust resources of the park to private interests for financial gain without conducting a stakeholder process or otherwise notifying the public in advance of a plan to significantly damage the character and natural resources of this woodland park. The park was purchased with taxpayer dollars through the New Jersey Green Acres program. It belongs to every resident of New Jersey. Commercial logging in publicly owned parks is a perfect example of privatizing gains while socializing losses. As an expert taxpayer, I can say this is a raw deal.
Volunteers in Washington Township built a network of woodland hiking trails in the park. The Warren Highlands Trail, a 52-mile long spur of the long-distance Highlands Trail extending from New York to Pennsylvania, traverses Roaring Rock Park. Brass Castle Creek, which runs through the park, is designated by New Jersey Fish and Wildlife as a Wild Trout Stream due to its naturally reproducing brook trout population. Brook trout is the only native New Jersey trout species.
How much will people enjoy hiking on rutted logging roads while listening to chainsaws and trucks in the woods? Will it be safe for kids to be in the park when logging is going on? Will there be any native brook trout able to survive in Brass Castle Creek after it is silted from vehicles driving through it and erosion from logged hillsides pouring into it? What will happen to neighboring properties when stormwater is no longer absorbed by tree roots and cascades unimpeded down steep slopes onto their property?
The forestry plan describes these and other problems likely to require remediation but there is no specific plan or cost estimate for accomplishing it. There is no guarantee that reforestation would work because of deer browse and invasion of non-native plants. It is extremely difficult and expensive to battle deer browse and weeds, as any homeowner can tell you. The forest as it is now took 100 years or more to develop. Park users will not see this forest again in their lifetimes.
Who will fix things after logging? There is no “after”. Forestry is a long game. The current logging plan lasts 10 years, but the goal is creating an ideally stocked forest of the largest and most valuable trees for continual harvest.
This is not what New Jersey taxpayers wanted or paid for with Green Acres funding. It is wrong and needs to stop now.
Laura Oltman is a member of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition Natural Heritage Committee. She lives in Phillipsburg.
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Flooding caused a lane restriction during the Thursday evening rush hour on Interstate 78 in Lehigh County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported.The flooding was reported about 5:45 p.m. on I-78 East between Exit 55 (Route 29-Cedar Crest Boulevard) and Exit 57 (Lehigh Street), PennDOT said. The department reported the flooding had subsided after about an hour and that the incident was cleared.Thursday evening, two cars could be seen surrounded by water at Santee Road and Clifton Avenue in Bethlehem Township....
Flooding caused a lane restriction during the Thursday evening rush hour on Interstate 78 in Lehigh County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported.
The flooding was reported about 5:45 p.m. on I-78 East between Exit 55 (Route 29-Cedar Crest Boulevard) and Exit 57 (Lehigh Street), PennDOT said. The department reported the flooding had subsided after about an hour and that the incident was cleared.
Thursday evening, two cars could be seen surrounded by water at Santee Road and Clifton Avenue in Bethlehem Township.
The National Weather Service at 7:21 p.m. Thursday issued a flash flood warning for an area including southern Lehigh County, in effect until 11:30 p.m.
“At 721 PM EDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated heavy rain falling and flooding occurring at Perkiomen Creek at East Greenville,” the warning stated. “Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring.”
A separate flood advisory was issued at 7:34 p.m. in effect until 10:45 p.m. for Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania and Hunterdon, Warren and Sussex counties in northwestern New Jersey.
As of 5:34 p.m., 0.7 of an inch of rain had fallen at Lehigh Valley International Airport, the weather service said in its daily climate report. The record rainfall for the date was 0.71 of an inch, set in 1917.
“A cold front will pass through late this afternoon and this evening with the potential for a few thunderstorms with heavy downpours and gusty winds,” the weather service said in a hazardous weather outlook issued at 4:11 p.m. for a region encompassing the Lehigh Valley and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania, in addition to parts of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
Utility companies and their customers were also dealing with outages Thursday night, with PPL Electric Utilities as of 8:30 p.m. reporting 1,589 customers out in Lehigh County and 681 in Northampton County. FirstEnergy Corp.’s JCP&L was reporting around that time 349 outages in Warren County and 165 in Hunterdon County.
Most of the Lehigh County outages were in Whitehall Township, where emergency radio broadcasts indicated a tree had come down in the area of Mickley Road, damaging wires and other equipment.
The flooding was one of numerous problems Thursday on roads in and around the Lehigh Valley, including a fatal crash on Route 309 in Lehigh County’s Lynn Township and a jackknifed tractor-trailer crash that required immediate road repairs on Route 33 near I-78 in Northampton County.
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Baby boomer women changed the world. Their lives were vastly different from those of their mothers both at work and at home—motherhood became a choice, and for many climbing the corporate ladder became a reality. The generation that said “don’t trust anyone over thirty” soon found themselves forty, and every decade seemed to redefine what it meant to be thirty, forty, fifty. And in this twenty-something’s opinion, they’re making fifty look good.So it was no surprise when, looking at this ye...
Baby boomer women changed the world. Their lives were vastly different from those of their mothers both at work and at home—motherhood became a choice, and for many climbing the corporate ladder became a reality. The generation that said “don’t trust anyone over thirty” soon found themselves forty, and every decade seemed to redefine what it meant to be thirty, forty, fifty. And in this twenty-something’s opinion, they’re making fifty look good.
So it was no surprise when, looking at this year’s list of the Most Powerful Women in the World, I found myself inspired by the women of my mother’s generation. Like the most of the women her age, she grew up with a stay at home mother but became a working mom. Now 57, she’s more devoted to--and excited by--her career than ever. My father’s ready to retire, but she’s happy to keep working, thank-you-very-much. She exudes a comfort with herself, physically, mentally, emotionally, that a younger woman (read: me) can only admire and aspire to.
Ten women on this year’s Power Women list who were born in 1954: Angela Merkel (No. 1), Jill Abramson (No. 12), Oprah Winfrey (No. 14), Georgina Rinehart (No. 19), Josette Sheeran (No. 30), Carol Meyrowitz (No. 73), Greta Van Susteren (No. 75), Denise Morrison (No. 80), Tina Brown (No. 81) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (No. 87). They come from vastly different backgrounds—Africa to Germany to America’s Deep South—and their careers have taken them into politics, television, finance and journalism. But looking at them together, as I did, there was a common thread that ran through the photographs of these Power Women: like my mother, they are 57 and stunning.
“By the time a woman hits her mid-fifties, she’s through with experimenting,” says Charla Krupp, beauty, style and aging expert and author of two best-selling books, How Not to Look Old and How to Never Look Fat Again who says that this Baby Booming generation is redefining youth as something more than the number of years. It takes the wisdom of fifty-some years in the same skin to know how to dress it, she says, how to take care of it, but most of all, how to be comfortable in it.
After complementing several of the women in the Power Women Lucky 57 Club, (“Oprah looks amazing every time she’s on the air.” “Josette Sheeran is gorgeous.”), she answered my question: Why do these women all look so pulled-together, so glowingly self-assured, so lovely? Besides the obvious answer (“Because they’re all fabulously wealthy!”) there’s little this bunch has in common besides 57 years on the planet.
“You know what your color is, you know what your cut is,” Krupp reminds me. You know what looks good on you, you know your face. You know what clothes are cut correctly for your figure. You know the products, treatments and tricks that are right for your skin. You know that you need plenty of sleep and that you can’t stay out drinking all night.” What this time-tested self-awareness brings, she says, is confidence. You know what works for you, you do it, you feel good—simple as that. Beauty, Krupp says, is a natural byproduct of confidence.
But as the average age of all 100 Power Women on our list was 54, there’s more than just honed fashion sense and beauty secrets to create confidence in these women. From the looks of it, the power number of career success is a woman’s mid-fifties. The average age appointment for S&P 500 CEOs is 55. The average age of the seven elected heads of state on our list is 56. If women are making it, this is when it’s happening. Just another reason to keep your head held high (and to fuel that inner glow).
(xoxo to my favorite57-year-old Power Woman, Pam Casserly, 6th grade teacher, Brass Castle School, Washington, NJ)
By Lisa PachnosPublishedDecember 20, 2022 at 4:04 PMStudents from a record-breaking 45 schools in Sussex and Northern Warren Counties spent the last few weeks of 2022 collecting more than 7,000 new, unwrapped toys in a friendly Stuff the Stocking competition to benefit Project Self-Sufficiency’s Season of Hope Toy Drive. Each year, the winning school ta...
By Lisa Pachnos
PublishedDecember 20, 2022 at 4:04 PM
Students from a record-breaking 45 schools in Sussex and Northern Warren Counties spent the last few weeks of 2022 collecting more than 7,000 new, unwrapped toys in a friendly Stuff the Stocking competition to benefit Project Self-Sufficiency’s Season of Hope Toy Drive. Each year, the winning school takes home the coveted Stuff the Stocking trophy, along with a monetary donation to their school’s activity fund. Second and third place winners also receive monetary donations for their schools. Reverend George A. Brown Memorial School was the victor in the 2022 contest, with more than 1,000 toys collected. Returning champion Pope John XXIII Middle School took second place, with North Warren Regional High School coming in third. Additional honors went to Longest Running Stocking Stuffer Hilltop Country Day School, Most Consistent Stocking Stuffer Hardyston School District, and Most Spirited Stocking Stuffer Green Hills School. Rookie Stocking Stuffer of the Year went to first-time participant Brass Castle Elementary School. Local schools which collected more than 100 toys included Allamuchy Township School, Brass Castle Elementary School, Cedar Mountain Primary School, Florence Burd Elementary School, Green Hills School, Hardyston School District, High Point Regional High School, Hilltop Country Day School, Knowlton Elementary School, Lenape Valley Regional High School, Mendham Township Elementary School, Newton High School, North Warren Regional Middle School and High School, Pope John XXIII High School, Pope John XXIII Middle School, Reverend George A. Brown Memorial Elementary School, Sandyston-Walpack Elementary School, Sussex Christian School, Sussex Technical School, and Warren Hills Regional High School.
Project Self-Sufficiency’s Season of Hope Toy Drive gathers new, unwrapped toys and gift cards for Sussex and Northern Warren County children and teens. In 2022, more than 2,200 children and teens received new gifts from the Season of Hope Toy Shop.
“The holidays can be a challenging time for many families in our area and the current economic situation has placed even more stress on many parents and caregivers,” commented Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. “The overwhelming response by these students demonstrates to the families served by Season of Hope Toy Shop that the community cares about them. Having children select toys for other children is a special way to celebrate the true meaning of the holiday season. Whether a school gathered less than 50 toys or more than 500, we are grateful to each student and school which participated and helped to make the 2022 effort the most successful Stuff the Stocking contest to date.”
Additional schools which participated in the Stuff the Stocking contest included Alpine Montessori, Blair Academy, Byram Intermediate School, Byram Lakes Elementary School, Cedar Mountain, Central Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School, Fredon Elementary School, Frelinghuysen Elementary School, Glen Meadow Middle School, Goddard School, Halsted Middle School, Kiddie Academy, Kittatinny Regional Middle School and High School, Lafayette Township School, Lounsberry Hollow School, Marian Emmons McKeown School, Montague Elementary, Rolling Hills Primary School, Stillwater Township School, Sussex Middle School, Valley Road School, Vernon Township High School, Walnut Ridge Preschool, Wantage Elementary School, and Warren County Technical School. Information about the Season of Hope Toy Drive and the programs and services available at Project Self-Sufficiency are available at www.projectselfsufficiency.org or by calling 973-940-3500.
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By John G. TrontisHave you heard about the logging underway at Roaring Rock Park, the beautiful, 400-acre wooded preserve in Washington Township, Warren County? Much has been said lately about severe environmental damage that would result if the township’s “Forest Management Plan” (FMP) is enacted. Without stakeholder input, residents and environmental groups only recently heard about the FMP, although the process had been in development by the Township for at least five years. I initially thought it might be an oppo...
By John G. Trontis
Have you heard about the logging underway at Roaring Rock Park, the beautiful, 400-acre wooded preserve in Washington Township, Warren County? Much has been said lately about severe environmental damage that would result if the township’s “Forest Management Plan” (FMP) is enacted. Without stakeholder input, residents and environmental groups only recently heard about the FMP, although the process had been in development by the Township for at least five years. I initially thought it might be an opportunity to improve this woodlot. As an experienced, nationally-certified parks & recreation professional serving as land manager and agency head on municipal, county and state levels for 42 years, however, I found this FMP sorely lacking.
NJ Highlands Coalition representatives and I advised the township to limit logging to winter months to minimize erosion and soil compaction when the soil is frozen and the vegetation is dormant. They said they would reassess the situation and wouldn’t proceed without further study. We recommended the following FMP amendments: 1. Develop a forest restoration plan to replicate the existing eastern deciduous forest ecosystem. 2. Develop a strategy for addressing invasive plant species, which spread to fill in the holes after the trees fall. 3. Develop a deer management plan, as deer will decimate any native seedlings that manage to grow in those opened areas. A robust, fully funded restoration plan that includes invasive plant and deer management is absent from the FMP.
With experience operating deer management programs, I offered to assist the township in developing a no-cost and effective deer management plan. In addition, highly qualified experts from the NJ Highlands Coalition had offered to conduct - also at no charge - surveys of rare plants and wildlife species of special concern.
We warned the township that 10-foot-wide corridors would have to be cleared to accommodate the “skid steer” machinery used to drag out heavy tree trunks. The weight of the machinery and trees would compact the root systems of the flanking tress, and eventually cause their death. We reminded them that Brass Castle Creek is a Category 1 stream, worthy of the standard New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s 300-foot, activity-free buffer. It’s also one of only 36 exceptional waterways statewide designated with special regulations as Wild Trout Streams by the DEP, rated “excellent” and “optimal” to support the habitat of sensitive species like Brook Trout and Northern Two-lined Salamander.
I was shocked to see “Phase I” logging begin on June 2, the worst possible time of the year because spring and early summer is songbird nesting season. Trees with dozens, if not, hundreds of nests were toppled. It’s also when amphibians, reptiles and sensitive aquatic species emerge.
Now, conditions due to logging are horrendous. Multiple haul roads were cut, but no remediation was done to restore muddy road conditions. With heavy summer rain events, mud and silt will run unchecked into Brass Castle Creek.
The logger seems to care only about taking marketable logs off site, as all of the tree crowns are piled deeply on site, crushing forest floor habitat. Those piles of drying branches and leaves will add to the forest floor fuel load, compounding the risk of wildfire.
The evidence of critical destruction is apparent on the forest floor. My question to the Washington Township Committee, and indeed, the public who elected them is will you allow this tragedy to continue, or will you do the right thing by promoting reforestation and stopping further logging?
John G. Trontis is a former assistant director of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks & Forestry. He is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional and lives in Washington Township.