During the 17th century, the area was explored and settled by the Swedish, Dutch, and the English, eventually becoming a part of the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Settlers in the region used the area's cedar, oak, and pitch trees, as well as local tar and turpentine, for sawmill, gristmill, and shipbuilding industry.

In 1964, the Pinelands Regional Planning Board proposed building a "supersonic jetport" in Ocean County to alleviate flight traffic in the New York metro.

This project would develop a satellite city of about 250,000 people, and would cover about 50 sq mi (130 km2) in ecologically sensitive parts of the Pine Barrens.

[4][5] Due to the large size of the forest, as well as 300 years of human development, the area could not be protected and preserved in its entirety.

9539 to preserve the Pinelands, which became attached to the omnibus bill in an amendment, sponsored by Congressmen Forsythe, Hughes, and James Florio.

"[1] In accordance with the law, New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne issued an executive order on February 8, 1979, creating the Pinelands Commission.

The Pinelands Commission set a one year period from the effective date, with $600,000 provided by the New Jersey Legislature from 1980–1982, for municipalities and counties to conform to the standards of the CMP.

In January 1982, after the one year approval period ended, the Pinelands Commission worked with the remaining municipalities and counties updating their master plans.

For the towns that refused to comply, the commission announced it would implement the CMP, thus overseeing the local development approval process.

Its mission statement indicates its role "is to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve, and to encourage compatible economic and other human activities consistent with that purpose."

[6] According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pinelands National Reserve has two climate zones; warm summer humid continental (Dfb) in northern, central and western sections with humid subtropical (Cfa) in eastern and southern sections.

[21] The Pinelands feature the largest areas of forests along the East Coast of the United States between northern Maine and the Florida Everglades.