Understanding an ecological treasure: the Pine Barrens of New Jersey!

The Pine Barrens of New Jersey is the largest remaining tract of Atlantic Coastal Pine barren Ecosytem on the east Coast. This region is also known as the "pines" or "piinelands" . The "barrens" refers to its sandy, low moisture, nurtrient poor acidics soils that made it unsuitable for farming traditional cultivated vegetables or crops. But the land is far from being barren. It is a rich and diverse ecological region the harbors several types of upland forests including and amazing "pygmy pine" forest no more than 4 feet tall. The lowlands included heaths of high bush blueberries, huckleberries and dew berries. Acid-loving carnivorous plants and rare orchids inhabit the swamps. Stands of fire resistant pitch pines and atlantic white cedar are abundant in the low lands along with hardwood swamps. A cycle of periodic fires that would occur naturally dedicate the ecosystem and cycles of succession. Today, controlled burns are mixed in with accidental fires. The pine barrens harbor many many different species of flora and fauna with many on endangered or threatened species lists. Beneath the pine barrens lies one of the largest and cleanest freshwater aquifers in the country. The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer includes over 3000 square miles and 17 trillion gallons of water. The Pine Barrens is the nation's first national reserve: The Pinelands National Reserve (1978 congressional legislation). The United Nations designated it as an International Biosphere Reserve. In this video I explain the amazing geological and biological features of the Pine Barrens through a canoe trip on the Wading River. The "back waters" of the pine barrens are tea or rust colored from tanins, low ph and iron precipitates in the water.

Micks Canoe Rental:
https://www.mickscanoerental.com/

Atribuitons:
Wilki commons pine barrens
Old houses:
Frederikto, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons

Stone building
Susan Spitz, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons

Historic building:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...

Jersey Devil
Various/several, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...

jersey deveil
Vectorized by Kj1595, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commonse
Fire: Thisisbossi, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons

Map
National Park Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

View of pines
amartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons

Old iron furnance
Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons