The Pine Barrens Ecosystem

Surrounded by over 20 million people, the New Jersey Pine Barrens occupies nearly one million acres in one of the most developed areas of the world. The remarkable geology of the region has created a place that is unique on Earth. Buy the "Up Close and Natural" DVD.

The Pine Barrens Tree Frog

Voices of tree frogs echo through the woods and swamps of the Pine Barrens. The water that nurtures the tree frogs, defines the unique Pine Barrens landscape.

Fire in the Pine Barrens

Learn more about how wildfire has shaped the Pine Barrens ecosystem for tens of thousands of years.

Snakes of the Pine Barrens

The timber rattlesnake and other unique snakes call the Pine Barrens home. Their numbers have dwindled as development encroaches on their habitat.

Characteristic Pine Barrens Plants

The special and, in some cases, unique plant communities of the Pine Barrens support many beautiful and globally rare plants. For some of these species, like the Pine Barrens Gentian, the Pine Barrens is the global stronghold.

Carnivorous Plants of the Pine Barrens

Few plants excited Colonial botanists more than the carnivorous plants of the Pine Barrens. The Sundew and Pitcher Plant are uniquely adapted to survive in the nutrient-poor conditions of the Pine Barrens.

Pine Barrens' Aquatic Environment

The tea-colored rivers and streams of the Pine Barrens are famous for their beauty. The source of these streams is rainwater that percolates through the sandy soil and recharges the aquifer.

Threats to the Pine Barrens

Despite laws to protect them, the Pinelands are in jeopardy. Suburban sprawl around the perimeter is approaching buildout. Irreplacable habitat is giving way to development pressure.

VIDEO: Explore Harrisville - 19th Century Pine Barrens Village

Explore Harrisville, a once-thriving Pine Barrens mill town and village, with author and historian Barbara Solem-Stull. Download the accompanying map.

Cranberry Harvest in the Pine Barrens

October is cranberry harvesting season, and for the farmers of Chatsworth, NJ, farming the cranberry bogs is a tradition that goes back generations. (Star Ledger Video)

Plants of the Pinelands

The Pine Barrens' sandy and acid soils give rise to unique plants, some found nowhere else in the world.

Fire in the Pine Barrens

Wildfires have shaped the Pine Barrens ecosystem for tens of thousands of years.

Pinelands Amphibians

Two toads and twelve frogs are known to inhabit the Pinelands. All of these amphibians are dependent on high-quality aquatic habitat for breeding, but some of them are otherwise more closely associated with uplands.

Pinelands Snakes

About 20 species of snakes inhabit the Pinelands.

Pinelands Turtles

Several species of turtles are common to the Pine Barrens, including the Musk Turtle or "stinkpot"

Pinelands Frogs and Toads

Two toads and twelve frogs are known to inhabit the Pinelands. All of these amphibians are dependent on high-quality aquatic habitat for breeding, but some of them are otherwise more closely associated with uplands.

Pinelands Fish

Pine Barrens streams are good habitat for a very limited range of fish species, because of the streams’ acidity.