NJ Pine Barrens

We often discuss in class how the Adirondack Park is an ongoing experiment for the rest of the world.  In this week’s Sneider reading I was very interested when the author stated that the Adirondack Park is not the only experiment anymore; there are other states that are also experimenting.  One of the examples he gives is the New Jersey Pine Barrens.  I’ve lived in New Jersey for about 17 years and I have never been to nor heard of the Pine Barrens before so I decided to do a little research on them.

The Pine Barrens is a forested area of costal plain located in southern New Jersey.  The area is full of acidic, nutrient-poor soil not at all favorable to farmers, but its unique ecology does support many different groups of plant life.  Most of the territory is rural and undisturbed despite the Atlantic City Expressway and the Garden State Parkway, which both run though the land.  In 1978, 1.1 million acres of the Pine Barrens were designated the "Pinelands National Reserve" to preserve its ecology. The territory helps recharge a multi gallon aquifer that contains some of the purest water in the US.  Similar to the Adirondack region, many industries were once located in the Pine Barrens including iron mining, paper mills, and saw mills. Most industries in the area today relate primarily to agriculture and tourism.  Like the Adirondacks, the Pine Barrens is made up of public and private land.  There are several public forests, parks, wildlife refuges, and more than 700,000 permanent residents that live there. To protect natural resources there is a land use program with planning and zoning measures. Although there are many conservationists working to protect the Pine Barrens, the territory’s wilderness is threatened by increasing suburbanization and development of the area.

Here is a site if any of you would like to learn more. http://www.pineypower.com/