Pine Barrens (New Jersey)
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Lake Atsion in the Pine Barrens |
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Map of the Pine Barrens |
The
Pine Barrens, also known as the
Pinelands, are a heavily forested area covering 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²) of
coastal plain across
southern and central
New Jersey. The name "
pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, which didn't take well to the crops originally imported by European settlers. However, these uncommon conditions led the Pine Barrens to develop a unique and diverse spectrum of plant life, especially
orchids and
carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare
pygmy Pitch Pines and other plant species that depend on fire to reproduce (fire is very frequent in the Pine Barrens). The highly organic sandy silt that composes much of the area's soil is referred to by the locals as
sugar sand.
Despite being near metropolitan areas such as
New York City,
Philadelphia, and
Atlantic City, and the fact that the
Garden State Parkway and
Atlantic City Expressway run directly through it, the Pine Barrens remains largely rural and undeveloped. In fact, the area has the unique distinction of being the largest piece of open space between
Boston, Massachusetts and
Richmond, Virginia. The Pine Barrens also helps recharge the 17-trillion gallon
Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer containing some of the purest water in the United States. As a result of all these factors, the area was designated the
Pinelands National Reserve (the nation's first National Reserve) in 1978, and it was designated a United Nations
International Biosphere Reserve in 1983. Development in the Pine Barrens is strictly controlled by an independent state/federal agency called the
New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The Pinelands Reserve contains
Wharton State Forest,
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) and
Bass River State Forest.
John McPhee wrote one of his earlier books on the
Pine Barrens on this history and ecology of the region in 1967.
The Pine Barrens are mentioned in
War of the Worlds as the site of a battle between the National Guard and alien forces.
Pine Barrens is also the name and location of an
episode of the
HBO show
The Sopranos, in which characters from the show get lost in the dense forest while trying to kill a Russian gangster.
During colonial times, the Pine Barrens was home to various industries.
Bog iron was mined from bogs, streams, and waterways, and was worked in furnaces at
Batsto,
Atsion,
Ferrago,
Hanover Furnace, and several other locations. Iron from these early furnaces was instrumental in supplying the American military with weapons and camp tools during the
American Revolution and the
War of 1812. The bog iron industry fell off in the mid-1800s when cheaper iron could be found in
Pennsylvania. Other industries such as paper mills, sawmills, and gristmills rose and fell throughout the years. Smaller industries such as charcoal making and glassmaking also were attempted and met with varying degrees of success. Over time, however, the forest reclaimed almost all traces of the Pine Barrens' industrial past.
Ghost towns — remnants of these industries — can still be seen at various locations, and one,
Batsto Village, has been restored to its mid-19th century state.
The Pine Barrens were home to the
Kallikaks, a poor, backwoods family which was held up as a
case study in genetic inferiority by
eugenicists in the early 20th century. Today, it is understood that the facts in the Kallikaks case study were misrepresented [
1]. For years, residents of the area were called "Pineys" by outsiders, as a derogatory term; today, many Pinelands residents are proud of both the name and the land on which they live.
The Pine Barrens gave rise to the legend of the
Jersey Devil, said to have been born to a local woman named Mrs. Leeds in an area known as "Leeds Point" sometime during the 1700s. Most sightings of the Devil have occurred in or near the Pine Barrens.
The only industries that still thrive in the Pine Barrens are related to agriculture and tourism. The Pine Barrens are the reason New Jersey grows the third-highest number of
cranberries in the country. The first-ever cultivated
blueberries were developed in the Pine Barrens in 1916 through the hard work of Elizabeth White of Whitesbog, and blueberry farms are now almost as common as
cranberry bogs.
Image:Lake_Atsion.jpg|Lake AtsionImage:Lake_Atsion_2.jpg|Lake AtsionImage:Lake_Atsion_3.jpg|Lake AtsionImage:Batsto_River.jpg|Batsto RiverImage:Mullica_River.jpg|Mullica RiverImage:Mullica_River_2.jpg|Mullica RiverImage:Mullica_River_3.jpg|Mullica RiverImage:Mullica_River_5.jpg|Mullica River*
Jersey Devil*
New Jersey Pinelands Commission*
NJ Pinelands and Down Jersey*
Birds of the Pine Barrens*
Plants of the Pine Parrens*
NJPineBarrens.com - Exploring the Ghost Towns of Southern New Jersey*
Photos of Colliers Mills WMA*
Forked River Mountain Coalition*
Pinelands Preservation Alliance*
Piney Power.com*
Batona Trail*
Pine Barrens Education Page*
National Park Service: Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers*
American Revolutionary War actions in the Pinelands area*
South Jersey Tourism Corporation
