Pine Barrens (New Jersey) - Plants and Animals

Plants and Animals

The Pine Barrens comprise a major part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion. The forest communities are strongly influenced by fire, varying from dwarf pine forests less than 4 feet (120 cm) tall where fires are frequent, to pine forests, to oak forests where fires are rare. Dark swamps of Atlantic white cedar grow along the waterways.

The Pine Barrens are home to at least 850 species of plants, of which 92 are considered threatened and endangered. Several species of orchids, including the Pink Lady's Slipper, are native to the Pine Barrens.

The Pine Barrens are home to at least 39 species of mammals, over 300 species of birds, 59 reptile and amphibian species, and 91 fish species. At least 43 species are considered threatened and endangered by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, including the rare eastern timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and bald eagles.

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, being classified as a game species with a closed season and in 1991 it was added to the list of endangered species in New Jersey. Reintroduction of the species occurred between 1978 and 1982 when 24 bobcats from Maine were released into the northern portion of the state where, since 1996, they are being monitored by biologists with the aid of GPS transmitters in order to determine habitat ranges and preferences.

In addition, a scent post survey in 1995 proved bobcat presence in four northern counties and there have been reliable sightings of the bobcat in 9 additional (mostly southern) counties, including those encompassing large swaths of the Pine Barrens and those counties skirting it, namely: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean, and Salem counties.