The Atlantic coastal pine barrens is a now rare

temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needle ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

of the

Northeast United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

distinguished by unique species and topographical features ( coastal plain ponds, frost pocket), generally nutrient-poor, often acidic soils and a

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ac ...

distribution once controlled by frequent fires.

Setting

This ecoregion once stretched from North Carolina to Nova Scotia but now covers a disjunct area with three remaining large, contiguous areas including, the largest, the

New Jersey Pine Barrens The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. Two other large, contiguou ...

on the coastal plain of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, the rapidly diminishing forests of southern

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

, and the

Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens The Plymouth Pinelands, also known as the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens, is an ecoregion located in Massachusetts in the United States. It is a part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens. Ecology Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the is ...

which stretches from

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known ...

in Southeastern Massachusetts to

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

and the Islands of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the ...

and

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

. The

pine barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

are underlain by sandy, nutrient-poor soils, which typically support stunted forests dominated by pines (''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden ...

'' spp.). The distinct flora of this ecoregion is maintained by the poor soils and frequent fires which revive the pines; surrounding areas with better soils are part of the

Middle Atlantic coastal forests The Middle Atlantic coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forest mixed with patches of evergreen broadleaved forests (closer to the Atlantic coast) along the coast of the southeastern United States. Setting The Middle Atlantic coastal fore ...

and

Northeastern coastal forests The Northeastern coastal forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the northeast and middle Atlantic region of the United States. The ecoregion covers an area of 34,630 sq miles (89,691 km2) encompassing the Piedmont a ...

ecoregions.

Climate

This ecoregion has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

, and

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

, and a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Flora

The composition of the flora of the pine barrens is largely determined by fire frequency. Pitch-pine-dominated forests are the characteristic forests of this ecoregion, but where fires occur at intervals of 10 years or less, dwarf pine forests develop. Where fires are infrequent, oak-dominated forests develop. In wetland areas grow cedar swamp forests and hardwood swamp forests.

Pine-dominated forests

Pitch pine ('' Pinus rigida'') is the most abundant tree here. Shortleaf pine (''

Pinus echinata ''Pinus echinata'', the shortleaf pine, is a species of pine native to the southeastern United States. Description The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. The tree reaches heights of with a ...

'') is also present, but not as abundant. In the southern regions of the

, loblolly pine (''

Pinus taeda ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

'') and pond pine (''Pinus serotina'') are present and fairly commonly encountered. A variety of oaks grow among the pines, including black (''

Quercus velutina ''Quercus velutina'', the black oak, is a species of oak in the red oak group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''), native and widespread in eastern and central North America. It is sometimes called the eastern black oak. ''Quercus velutina'' was p ...

''), white (''

Quercus alba An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

''), post (''

Quercus stellata ''Quercus stellata'', the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to r ...

''), chestnut (''

Quercus prinus ''Quercus montana'', the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest ...

''), scarlet (''

Quercus coccinea ''Quercus coccinea'', the scarlet oak, is a deciduous tree in the red oak section ''Lobatae'' of the genus ''Quercus'', in the family Fagaceae. It is primarily distributed in the central and eastern United States. It occurs on dry, sandy, usual ...

''), and blackjack (''

Quercus marilandica ''Quercus marilandica'', the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the eastern and central United States. Description ''Quercus marilandica'' is a small deciduous tree growing t ...

''). These forests tend to be open with widely spaced trees and plenty of sunlight reaching the forest floor. The understory is thick with shrubs, including black huckleberry (''

Gaylussacia baccata ''Gaylussacia baccata'', the black huckleberry, is a common huckleberry found throughout a wide area of eastern North America. Distribution The plant is native to Eastern Canada and the Great Lakes region, the Midwestern and Northeastern Uni ...

'') and early lowbush blueberry (''

Vaccinium pallidum ''Vaccinium pallidum'' is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common names hillside blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, late lowbush blueberry, and early lowbush blueberry. It is native to central Canada ( Ontario) and the c ...

''). Staggerbrush (''

Lyonia mariana Lyonia mariana, the Piedmont staggerbush and staggerbush, is a perennial shrub that is native to the United States. Conservation status It is listed as endangered in Pennsylvania, historical in Rhode Island, and as a species of special concern ...

''), dangleberry ('' Gaylussacia frondosa''), mountain laurel (''

Kalmia latifolia ''Kalmia latifolia'', the mountain laurel, calico-bush, or spoonwood, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, that is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, ...

''), and sheep laurel (''

Kalmia angustifolia ''Kalmia angustifolia'' is a flowering shrub in the family Ericaceae, commonly known as sheep laurel. It is distributed in eastern North America from Ontario and Quebec south to Virginia. It grows commonly in dry habitats in the boreal forest, a ...

'') also occur. Bracken fern (''

Pteridium aquilinum ''Pteridium aquilinum'' (bracken, brake or common bracken), also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North America, the extreme lightness o ...

'') is abundant.

Dwarf pine forests

The only trees that can recover from frequent fires are pitch pine and blackjack oak, which are abundant here. Deprived of the opportunity to grow tall, these trees grow as shrubs that may only be tall. Black huckleberry and early lowbush blueberry are again common here. Mountain laurel, sheep laurel, and bearberry (''

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ''Arctostaphylos uva-ursi'' is a plant species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos'' widely distributed across circumboreal regions of the subarctic Northern Hemisphere. Kinnikinnick ( First Nations for "smoking mixture") is a common name in Canada ...

'') are also common.

Oak-dominated forests

Without fires, leaf litter accumulates, creating an environment that favors the establishment of oak seedlings instead of pine seedlings. In time, the pines grow old, die, and are replaced by oaks (''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

'' spp.). The most common are black, scarlet, chestnut, white, and post oaks. Pitch and shortleaf pines are scattered among the oaks. The forest canopy tends to be closed. The understory vegetation is similar to that of the pine-dominated forest, with black huckleberry, early lowbush blueberry, and dangleberry common.

Cedar swamp forests

Swamp forests dominated by Atlantic white cedar (''

Chamaecyparis thyoides ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to ...

'') occur along the waterways of the pine barrens. The white cedars often grow from pools of standing water and, in contrast to the surrounding pine forests, considerably darken the understory. Amid the white cedars are red maple (''

Acer rubrum ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

''), sour gum (''

Nyssa sylvatica ''Nyssa sylvatica'', commonly known as tupelo, black tupelo, black gum or sour gum, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to eastern North America from the coastal Northeastern United States and southern Ontario south to central Florida and e ...

''), pitch pine, and sweet bay magnolia (''

Magnolia virginiana ''Magnolia virginiana'', most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay (also laurel magnolia, swampbay, swamp magnolia, white bay, or beaver tree), is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be ...

''). In openings and edges grow highbush blueberry, dangleberry, swamp azalea (''

Rhododendron viscosum ''Rhododendron viscosum'', the swamp azalea, clammy azalea or swamp honeysuckle, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. This deciduous shrub, growing to tall and broad, is native to the eastern United States. It has roun ...

''), fetterbush (''

Eubotrys racemosa ''Eubotrys racemosa'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Leucothoe racemosa'') is a species of flowering plant in the Ericaceae, heath family known by the common names fetterbush, swamp doghobble, and swamp sweetbells. It is native to the Eastern Unite ...

''), and leatherleaf (''

Chamaedaphne calyculata ''Chamaedaphne calyculata'', known commonly as leatherleaf or cassandra, is a perennial dwarf shrub in the plant family Ericaceae and the only species in the genus ''Chamaedaphne''. It is commonly seen in cold, acidic bogs and forms large, spread ...

''). Sweet pepperbush (''

Clethra alnifolia ''Clethra alnifolia'', the coastal sweetpepperbush or summersweet, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Clethra'' of the family Clethraceae, native to eastern North America from southern Nova Scotia and Maine south to northern Florida, ...

''), ''

Sabatia kennedyana ''Sabatia kennedyana'' is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name Plymouth rose gentian. It is native to eastern North America. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, Rhode Isl ...

'', inkberry (''

Ilex glabra ''Ilex glabra'', also known as Appalachian tea, dye-leaves, evergreen winterberry, gallberry, and inkberry, is a species of evergreen holly native to the coastal plain of eastern North America, from coastal Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Lo ...

''), and winterberry (''

Ilex verticillata ''Ilex verticillata'', the winterberry, is a species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama. Other names that have been used incl ...

'') are also present.

Hardwood swamp forests

Sweet gum (''

Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgum (''Liquidambar styraciflua''), also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus ''Liquidambar'' native to warm temper ...

'') and red maple are the most abundant trees in the hardwood swamp forests. American holly (''

Ilex opaca ''Ilex opaca'', the American holly, is a species of holly, native to the eastern and south-central United States, from coastal Massachusetts south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. Description ''Ilex opaca ...

''), a broadleaf evergreen tree, is common. Pin oak (''

Quercus palustris ''Quercus palustris'', the pin oak or swamp Spanish oak, is a tree in the red oak section (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae'') of the genus ''Quercus''. Pin oak is one of the most commonly used landscaping oaks in its native range due to its ease of ...

''), swamp white oak (''

Quercus bicolor ''Quercus bicolor'', the swamp white oak, is a North American species of medium-sized trees in the beech family. It is a common element of America's north central and northeastern mixed forests. It can survive in a variety of habitats. It forms ...

''), willow oak (''

Quercus phellos ''Quercus phellos'', the willow oak, is a North American species of a deciduous tree in the red oak group of oaks. It is native to the south-central and eastern United States. Description It is a medium-sized tree growing to tall (exceptional ...

''), tulip tree (''

Liriodendron tulipifera ''Liriodendron tulipifera''—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus ''Liriodendron'' (the other ...

''), sour gum, and sweet bay magnolia are associates. Poison ivy (''

Toxicodendron radicans ''Toxicodendron radicans'', commonly known as eastern poison ivy or poison ivy, is an allergenic Asian and Eastern North American flowering plant in the genus ''Toxicodendron''. The species is well known for causing urushiol-induced contact derm ...

'') and Japanese honeysuckle (''

Lonicera japonica ''Lonicera japonica'', known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species in a number of countries. Jap ...

'') are often abundant and grow in thickets. Shrubs include arrowwood (''

Viburnum dentatum ''Viburnum dentatum'', southern arrowwood or arrowwood viburnum or roughish arrowwood, is a small shrub, native to the eastern United States and Canada from Maine south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Like most ''Viburnum'', it has opposi ...

''), spicebush (''

Lindera benzoin ''Lindera benzoin'' (commonly called spicebush, common spicebush, northern spicebush, wild allspice, or Benjamin bush) is a shrub in the Lauraceae, laurel family, native to Eastern United States, eastern North America, ranging from Maine and New ...

''), highbush blueberry (''

Vaccinium corymbosum ''Vaccinium corymbosum'', the northern highbush blueberry, is a North American species of blueberry which has become a food crop of significant economic importance. It is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and southern United States, from ...

''), sweet pepperbush (''

''), and swamp azalea.

Grasslands

The region also contains areas of maritime grassland on

, and out at the tip of Long Island that are unique in the United States (see

Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge The Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge was established July 20, 1971 as a land gift from Stanley Howard. The refuge is located in the hamlet of North Sea on the north shore of Long Island's south fork. The refuge protects grasslands, oak- ...

for an example).

Fauna

Wildlife adapted to this environment includes the

Pine Barrens tree frog The Pine Barrens tree frog (''Dryophytes andersonii'') is a species of New World tree frog. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss. Physical characteristics ''Dryophytes andersonii'', only about long, is one of the smaller species of tree fro ...

, Plymouth red-bellied turtle and the extinct

heath hen The heath hen (''Tympanuchus cupido cupido'') is an extinct subspecies of the greater prairie chicken (''Tympanuchus cupido''), a large North American bird in the grouse family. It became extinct in 1932. Heath hens lived in the scrubby heath ...

. The beaches of these coast are important breeding grounds for

piping plover The piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red legs, a black band across the forehead from e ...

(especially on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Long Island) and

roseate tern The roseate tern (''Sterna dougallii'') is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name ''Sterna'' is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific ''dougallii'' refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McDoug ...

(especially on Bird Island).

Threats and preservation

The pine barrens ecosystems have been severely damaged by urban developments as the east coast has become built up with housing, including vacation and retirement properties. Only about 10% of original habitat remains and is very fragmented. Blocks of remaining habitat include: the

;

Long Island Central Pine Barrens The Long Island Central Pine Barrens (also known as the Long Island Pine Barrens) is a large area of publicly protected pine barrens in Suffolk County, New York, on Long Island, covering more than . The Barrens operates in a similar manner to Ad ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

; and the

with concentrations in

Myles Standish State Forest Myles Standish State Forest is a state forest located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of Boston. It is the largest publicly owned recreation area in this part of Massac ...

Manuel F. Correllus State Forest Manuel F. Correllus State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest located on Martha's Vineyard. The forest borders Martha's Vineyard Airport on three sides and is chiefly in the New England town, towns of West Tisbury, Massachusetts, West Tisbury ...

on Martha's Vineyard,

Cape Cod National Seashore The Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS), created on August 7, 1961, by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion. The CCNS includ ...

and

Joint Base Cape Cod The Joint Base Cape Cod is a state-designated joint base created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States War Department in 1935. Governor James Curley signed the state bill to allocate and purchase land for a military facilit ...

and the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Reservation in

. These areas are now well conserved.

References and external links

Nature Conservancy Pine Barrens of Southeast Massachusetts
( ttp://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/50504.htm slow modem version
Pine Barrens Alliance
{{Nearctic temperate coniferous forests, state=collapsed Temperate coniferous forests of the United States Ecoregions of the United States - Forests of Massachusetts Forests of New York (state) * * * Plant communities of the Eastern United States Plant communities of New York (state) Nearctic ecoregions