THE PINE BARRENS
The last stretch before tourists and locals reach Long
Beach Island is a long and formidable ribbon of highway
on Route 72. This lonely 20 miles of straight, dark road
cuts right through what is known as the New Jersey
Pine Barrens and is home to some of the state’s most
interesting people, wildlife, flora, legends and history.
The 1.1 million acres of the Pine Barrens is in the low
center of the state and spans across a large portion of
Ocean County. This stretch of unusual stunted pygmy
pines, whose growth is limited due to the poor soil and an
inability for large root development, represents the most
extensive wilderness tract along the mid-Atlantic seaboard.
On all sides, however, developments of one kind or
another have gradually moved in, so that now the forest is
reduced to about a thousand square miles. Although New
Jersey has the heaviest population density of any state,
huge segments of the Pine Barrens remain uninhabited.
John McPhee dared to explore and document this
mystical wonderland in his 1978 nonfiction book, The Pine
Barrens. McPhee moved through the notoriously difficult
paths and sugar sand roads to get to the heart of the land
and the people, “The Pineys,” as they are known, and
he found a subculture of misunderstood conservationists
who are interested in living off the land in peace. McPhee
took the mystery out of the Pine Barrens and created a
movement toward education and preservation and the
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Photo by Jenifer Rutherford
ethereal and desolate area has become a destination to
explore, camp, fish, hunt and relax. Once you enter into its
encompassing forest, it is easy to forget that you are mere
miles from the Garden State Parkway and the high energy
of the Jersey Shore.
Ecologically, the Pine Barrens consists of generally flat,
sandy, acidic soils, deposited in the region following the
Atlantic Coastal Plains submergence under the Atlantic
Ocean. The streams in the Pinelands are typically slow
moving and shallow because of the very level grade of the
landscape. In addition, the Pine Barrens is underlain by
the shallow Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, which provides
approximately 90 percent of all the water to streams,
rivers and wetlands in the area. This combination of
sandy soils and groundwater-fed streams supports the
unique ecosystem within the woodlands. The high acid
content and natural filtration of the soil have led to most
undisturbed streams and ponds being filled with highly
potable water. Locals claim that Pine Barren water, colored
a deep reddish brown by the cedar and ore running
through the aquifer, can be bottled and held for up to a
year in a clean container and still be drinkable and safe.
The Pine Barrens is home to a rich variety of wildlife,
including tree frogs, eastern mud turtles, northern pine
snakes and river otters.
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