New Jersey Pine Barrens
The heavily traveled Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway traverse sections of the eastern and southern Pine Barrens, respectively.
The Barrens formed in the southernmost and newest land area in New Jersey 1.8 to 65 million years ago, during the Tertiary era.
[5] Scholars know that the Lenape tribes burned the woods in the spring and fall to reduce underbrush, and improve plant yields and hunting conditions.
[7] The area's sparse population encouraged a long-lasting attitude that forest fires should be set for local benefit—even on the lands of others.
[7] During the 17th century, the area that is now New Jersey was explored and settled by the Swedish and Dutch, who developed whaling and fishing settlements mainly along the Delaware River.
The first shipbuilding operations began in the Pine Barrens in 1688, utilizing the cedar, oak, and pitch trees, as well as local tar and turpentine.
Other industries such as paper mills, sawmills, and gristmills rose and fell throughout the years, catering chiefly to local markets.
[15] In the early 20th century, a family identified in a case study by the pseudonym, the Kallikaks, were presented as an example of genetic inferiority by eugenicists.
Today, scholars understand that the facts in the Kallikaks study were misrepresented, including photographs altered to make the family members appear more backward.
[16] On July 12, 1928, the Mexican aviator and national hero Emilio Carranza crashed and was killed in Tabernacle, New Jersey, while returning from a historic goodwill flight from Mexico City to the United States.
Despite rapid urbanization of surrounding areas, the Pine Barrens remained largely untouched because its sandy soil was unsuitable for growing most crops.
With rising environmental concerns at the time, people became alerted to the possible destruction of the Pine Barrens and its aquifer by urban sprawl.
The surviving Medford office of Dr. James Still, the 19th century "Black Doctor of the Pines", was purchased for preservation by the State of New Jersey in 2006.
Another story says that the mother gave birth to a hideous monster that attacked her and her nurses, before flying up and out of the chimney and disappearing into the Barrens.
The Pine Barrens, however, have a microclimate that allows for a shorter frost-free season, and colder nighttime temperatures compared to most of New Jersey.
Because of sandy soil and very little development, clear and calm nights can get much colder in the Pine Barrens than in the surrounding areas.
In the Pine Barrens, frost occurs earlier in the fall and later in the spring than the surrounding areas due to the sandy soil.
Frequent light fires tend to reduce the amount of undergrowth and promote the growth of mature trees.
While uncommon, severe fires at fairly frequent intervals can eliminate species that do not bear seed at an early age.
A few areas which had previously consisted of scrub and pitch pine have become dominated by oak trees because of intervention after settlement to reduce the frequency of forest fires.
[35] At least 43 species are considered threatened and endangered by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife,[36] including the rare eastern timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and bald eagles.
[38] American black bears are finding their way back into the Pine Barrens after a history of hunting and trapping had driven them out.
[39] Believed to have been extirpated from the state by 1970 due to destruction of its territory and human encroachment, the bobcat gained legal protection in 1972.
