Tree cutting around the Bass River State Forest fire tower is finished although the contractor is continuing to load the white pines on trucks. The site that Bass River Township called the gateway to the township, a forest of towering white pines, is now a slashed clearcut.

The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection is proposing to leave it that way, allowing nature to slowly reclaim the site.

On March 20, the DEP did a final inspection of the second phase of the cutting. The contractor, Advanced Forestry Solutions of Elmer, has completed all cutting operations and is in the final stages of removing the logs.

The state paid $17,160 to have the 16.4 acres logged; the contractor has retained the logs as part of the payment.