This is the ultimate handbook to the New Jersey Pine barrens. More than 700 species of plants and animals found within this 2,200-square-mile tract are identified and illustrated. The book begins by explaining and defining the uniqueness and diversity of the Pine Barrens, from its history to its ecostructure and future outlook. The bulk of the text, however, is devoted to classifying and categorizing every plant and living creature that makes its home in the Pine Barrens.

The phrase "New Jersey Pine Barrens" often conjures images of desolate forests and even the piercing red eyes of the Jersey Devil. While those just might be true, there are over one million acres in southern New Jersey filled with remarkable people, charming communities, natural wonders and man-made marvels. Conservationists from around the state strive to protect the region from overpopulation and preserve the pristine wilds. From sweetly scented pines, blueberry and cranberry farms and family businesses to the proud inhabitants who welcome thousands of visitors every year, discover what makes the Pine Barrens one of the most beautiful regions in the Northeast.

Pine Barrens: Ecosystem and Landscape focuses on the relationship between the ecological and landscape aspects of Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The idea in this book is based from the discussions of Rutgers University botanists and ecologists at the 1975 American Institute of Biological Science meetings, and from the interest generated by the 1976 annual New Jersey Academy of Science meeting, which focuses on the Pine Barrens. This seven-part book starts with a short discussion on location and boundaries of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Part I covers human activities, from Indian activities and initial European perceptions of the land, including settlement, lumbering, fuel wood and charcoal, iron and glassworks, farming and livestock, and real estate development. The next part of the book describes sandy deposits, geographic distribution of geologic formations, and soil types with their ecologically important characteristics. Topics on hydrology, aquatic ecosystems, and climatic and microclimatic conditions are presented in the third part of this reference. Part IV traces the history of vegetation starting before the Ice Age and analyzes vegetation using different approaches, such as community types, community classification according to a European method, and gradient analysis. Plants of the Pine Barrens are briefly described and listed in Part V. The final part illustrates community relationships of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, and soil microcommunities. The book is ideal for ecologists, botanists, geologists, soil scientists, zoologists, hydrologists, limnologists, engineers, and scientists, as well as planners, decision-makers, and managers who may largely determine the future of a region.

Most people think of New Jersey as a suburban-industrial corridor that runs between New York and Philadelphia. Yet in the low center of the state is a near wilderness, larger than most national parks, which has been known since the seventeenth century as the Pine Barrens. The term refers to the predominant trees in the vast forests that cover the area and to the quality of the soils below, which are too sandy and acid to be good for farming. On all sides, however, developments of one kind or another have gradually moved in, so that now the central and integral 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. The few people who dwell in the region, the "Pineys," are little known and often misunderstood. Here McPhee uses his uncanny skills as a journalist to explore the history of the region and describe the people—and their distinctive folklore—who call it home.