THE PINE BARRENS Photo by B. Cuthbert 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. Ecologically, it 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 container of any kind and still be drinkable and safe. The Pine Barrens is home to a rich variety of wildlife. Pine Barrens tree frogs, eastern mud turtles, northern pine snakes and river otters are all well known residents. 18 www.sparkexploreocean.com
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