Along with the amber is found the well preserved leaves and wood of various trees and shrubs. Although the tree responsible for the amber hasn't been positively identified, it is believed to be related to the cedar family. Myself and several other collectors found a single lignitized log with thin layers of amber within the wood. Analyzing this wood might determine the species of the amber tree. Although the preservation of some of the insects is exquisite, others are obscured by plant debris, oxidation, and air bubbles, making photography difficult.
Careful preparation is usually necessary.
The best site was located in central NJ a few years ago by amateur fossil collectors. Amber has been found from a number of other localities in NJ, though it has always been very rare and usually in droplets too small to preserve insects. Diggings in a sand and clay pit revealed a layer of carbonized wood fragments and leaves, known as lignite. The layers are from less than an inch to several feet thick. Amber is most abundant in these layers, though occasionally it is also present in the gray clay and sand layers above and below the lignite.