The Pinelands National Reserve occupies more than one million acres of land in southern New Jersey. The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP), which most types of development on the region's 380,000 acres of wetlands. Further, it requires establishment of a buffer area to protect wetlands from impacts associated with upland development. Development is not permitted within 300 feet of any wetland, unless the applicant can demonstrate that the proposed development will no have a significant adverse impact on the wetland.
To aid in the determination of an appropriate buffer, Roman and Good (1985, 1986) developed a model for deriving the minimum site-specific buffer width needed to protect wetlands. This model is currently being used by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission's permit review personnel as a guideline for evaluating wetland-related applications within a systematic and consistent framework. It is also being used by applicants to assist with project design and site plan development.