Forestry Under Fire!

The coastal plain of New Jersey is home to a unique ecosystem known as the Pine

Barrens. This ecosystem is defined by its yellow pine forests and acidic soils, perfect for growing

blueberries and cranberries. This week I got the chance to hear from Bob Williams, a notable

forester in the Pine Barrens, and see some of the work he is doing on the forests on the property

of the Lee Brothers Cranberry Farm in Chatsworth New Jersey. I set out with the goal of

discovering how and why cranberry growing operations are managing their forested watersheds

for clean water provision, and learning how ecological forest management can be applied to

improve forest health.

Upon meeting Bob it was abundantly clear that Bob is very passionate and

knowledgeable about his work. He began by explaining the history of the forests of the area,

from historical management with fire by the native Americans and relentless timber harvesting

of the early Europeans, to the more recent protection of the land. In his estimation there is no true

“natural forest” in New Jersey, all have been altered in some way by humans and because of this

historical interference these forests cannot be “left to mother nature” and in most cases must be

managed. He also made it very clear that his hands-on approach receives its fair share of

criticism and resistance, particularly from governmental bodies that oppose the usage of fire and

the cutting of trees and instead prefer a hands-off approach.

In order to exemplify the effects of his methods Bob took us to his crown jewel: an 80

year old pitch pine and shrub stand (see figure 1). The regiment applied to this stand include

prescribed burning, silvicultural thinning, and leaving biological legacies for wildlife in the form

of downed logs. Prescribed fire is important for several reasons. To begin with, it helps to clear
the understory of the forest creating resistance to wildfire by reducing fuel and preventing it from

reaching the crown level and damaging crops and property on and around the cranberry bog.

This particular stand is burned every five to ten years in order to allow for a herbaceous

understory to develop on a small scale and add value to wildlife. In addition to burning,

silviculture is very important to the maintenance of the stand. According to Bob, around 35% of

the forest was cut and removed, allowing the remaining 65% of trees to have more room to grow

and access sunlight and decrease the density of the forest which increases the stands resistance to

disease and infestation from things such as the southern pine beetle. After this, smaller

overtopped trees were hand cut with chainsaws and left on the ground as biological legacies that

serve as important habitats for many species, particularly pine snake, a state threatened species.

The removal of overtopped understory trees also helps to prevent crown spread of wildfires. All

of these actions in tandem contribute to the quality of the watershed, as the removal of water

needy trees and plants allow for rainwater to drain and recharge before entering the cranberry

bogs, leading to higher water quality and leaving the area less susceptible to localized drought.
 Figure 1: Two photos of an 80 year old pitch pine stand managed on the property
of the Lee Brothers Cranberry Bog, exemplifying large mature pitch pines, and a
young herbaceous understory.

After viewing this pristine stand of forest Bob directs us to a much different looking

stand: an area that was clear cut and allowed to regenerate with naturally occurring shortleaf pine

and some planted pitch pine-loblolly hybrid, resulting in a young, even aged stand (Figure 2).

This stand is managed similar to a pine plantation, with the only difference being an understory

of native plants. This stand has been thinned once in order to avoid stagnation, and could

eventually yield commercially valuable timber.

Figure 2: Two photos of a clearcut area 20 years later after regeneration by shortleaf pine and
pitch pine-loblolly hybrid in a plantation style stand with a native understory located on the Lee
Brothers Cranberry Bog in Chatsworth New Jersey.

The forests Bob showed us during this visit all have one thing in common; they are

ecologically managed in a way that benefits the health of the forest as well as the interests of the

cranberry bog owners. The thinning and burning help to reduce the risk of destructive wildfire,

improve water quality, and provide habitat for wildlife. These techniques are also useful in

combating the effects of anthropogenic climate change. By thinning the forest trees are allowed

to grow faster and to larger sizes, sequestering more carbon than if left unmanaged. Because

these techniques resist the increased risk of wildfire that climate change creates, they additionally

reduce the risk of a fast die off which would release large amounts of carbon and eliminate the

carbon sink that the forest creates. In conclusion, Bob showed us the benefits and results of

ecological forest management that he advocates so strongly for despite resistance from his

opposition. Perhaps some of the opposition he faces is because of a lack of understanding about

what he does, so I will leave you with one of his quotes that sums up his philosophy when it
comes to forestry: “Forestry used to concentrate on what we were taking, now we are focusing

on what we are leaving behind”.