Time to Abandon Forest Preservation?

Effective Forest Management Provides Numerous Benefits to Pinelands Cranberry Farms

By Christopher Gunderson December 8, 2023

At the forefront of effective forest management are operations coordinated near a

collection of cranberry farms in Chatsworth, New Jersey. Forester Bob Williams, a renowned

consultant in his field, oversees the management of some of these surrounding forests owned by

cranberry growers. Under his guidance, hundreds of acres of Pinelands forest are being managed

to return them to historical conditions, supporting forest productivity, biodiversity, and the local

cranberry industry. Although the techniques that he utilizes appear to contradict the idea of forest

preservation held by the general public and environmentalists, the benefits of such management

are innumerable, particularly with current trends in climate.

Prior to European settlement, frequent fires set by Native Americans in addition to natural

ecosystem disturbances have been an integral part of Pine Barrens ecology for thousands of

years. Pitch Pine, the principal species of the Pine Barrens, is well-adapted to fire and frequently

needs it for successful reproduction. Essentially, fire has allowed this unique ecosystem to

perpetuate while supporting a variety of habitats and various organisms.

However, as Williams argues, the Pine Barrens has been abused over the past 400 years,

chiefly for extractive purposes. These forests have been repeatedly cut down to operate iron

forges, sawmills, and other early industries in this region. Relating this to pine plantations in the

south, Williams notes that while wood is an essential component of our economy and way of life,

overly extractive operations do not accommodate ecological sustainability.

 Then came the environmental movement in the 1970s, where forest preservation became a

hot topic. Although preservation can be beneficial in the right context, it differs from

conservation and stewardship in that it tends to overlook ecosystem integrity. Accordingly, this

has resulted in the overwhelming perception that every effort should be made to keep every tree

alive. It was during this time that the Pinelands National Reserve was established, so-called

“preserving” 1.1 million acres in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. As Williams puts it, “Locking the

Pine Barrens down over the last 40 years has done more damage to threatened and endangered

species [here] than anything else.”

The ensuing suppression of fire and disturbance, which have fundamentally shaped this

land in the past, has essentially resulted in a loss of critical habitat in the Pine Barrens over the

past half-century. For instance, we are now seeing a rapid decline in many rare plants and

animals that chiefly occur in pine savannas, a habitat only maintained through frequent surface

fires.

Moreover, the halting of forestry practices in this region has allowed trees to grow and a

dense understory to develop, now prevailing through the majority of the Pine Barrens. These

overstocked ladder fuels – vegetation that allows a surface fire to jump to the forest canopy – not

only create conditions supportive of a potentially devastating wildfire (referred to as the “Big

One” by Williams), but also have a dramatic impact on regional groundwater recharge.

For cranberry growers here, this presents a foreseeably disastrous problem. Steve Lee IV,

a 6th generation cranberry farmer in Chatsworth, says that each acre of his cranberry bogs

requires 10 acres of surrounding forest. A buildup of forest vegetation is disadvantageous to his

cranberry operations because of the associated high risk of fire and, as Williams describes it, a

“thick mat” of pine needles and leaves prevents precipitation from penetrating the water table.
Combined with high rates of evapotranspiration, excessive leaf litter contributes to the lowering

of the water table and the drying up of wetlands, which is critical for cranberry cultivation. With

this in mind, a healthy managed watershed is a necessity for cranberry growers.

The solution to these problems, or at least a step in the right direction, is effective forest

management. This often involves the re-introduction of natural patterns of disturbance – such as

fire in the Pine Barrens – to restore past conditions. This tends to get a bad rap from many

environmentalists who see it as purely destructive, but disturbances create structural diversity in a

forest and opportunities for biodiversity to flourish. Bob Williams is one of many foresters using

different techniques in his forest management plans to mimic natural disturbances and create

different types of habitat. This is something that cannot be achieved under mere forest

preservation.

In many cases, the objective of ecological forestry in the Pine Barrens is the recreation of

open-canopy pine-dominated woodland. This is what would have dominated the region before

European settlement and preservation efforts, when fires occurred every five years, at most.

The pine forest that is achieved through the management techniques of thinning and

prescribed fire, shown in the photograph below on Lee’s property, mimics these woodland

conditions. Not only do these woodlands greatly exceed unmanaged forests in overall ecological

value, but they also have roughly the same volume of wood as the untouched forest, according to

Williams. Additionally, they have comparatively less leaf litter and limited ladder fuels, which

would otherwise support a severe fire. In between sections of forest on Lee’s property, Lee is

clearing the underbrush to maintain firebreaks, preventing opportunities for a large wildlife to

spread if one were to occur.

This 80-year-old mature pine woodland was created through an even-aged management approach
on Steve Lee’s property. This stand has received both thinning and prescribed fire. Note the
generally good form of trees and open-canopy conditions. Oak species are now appearing in the
understory – indicating this area is due for another burn.

Another technique used in forest management is clearcutting – a method that removes all

trees from an area. This allows the opportunity for pioneer and early successional vegetation such

as grasses and pines to reinhabit an area due to increased sunlight and exposure of bare mineral

soil. This supports a variety of plants and animals that depend on these early forest stages. After

some time, thinning the new forest becomes necessary in a process known as tending, focusing

space and resources on the remaining trees to enhance their quality and health. In an overstocked

forest, thinning can also be beneficial because it often reduces ladder fuels.

In 2001, about 300 acres of land were clearcut on Lee’s cranberry property. The

photograph below shows the present-day conditions of a section of this land. This area was
thinned about 3 years ago. Some of the cut-down trees from the thinning were intentionally left

behind for two main reasons: they create invaluable habitat for small mammals and enrich the

soil as they decompose.

This forest stand, consisting of pitch pine and shortleaf pine, was part of a 300-acre clearcut on
Steve Lee’s property in 2001. About half of the trees now occupying this stand were artificially
planted, while the other half emerged via natural reproduction. The slash (wood debris) on the
forest floor left behind from a 2020 pre-commercial thinning creates ideal habitat for pine snakes
and small mammals. This debris also supplies essential nutrients to the soil during the process of
decomposition.

In other sections of the 300-acre clearcut, Williams is using a pitch-loblolly hybrid pine to

repopulate areas, along with applications of prescribed fire and forest herbicides to eliminate the

shrub layer. This yields a fast-growing pine forest due to the genetics of the hybrid and the

suppression of competing vegetation. Although this type of management does provide some

positive environmental effects to an extent, these methods appear more aligned with plantation
forestry and growing timber for economic purposes. As Williams maintains, “a plantation is not a

[true] forest [because] it is not natural.” Therefore, the ecological value of such a stand is not as

great, but it does take the timber pressure off of natural forests while supplying the revenue to

fund ecological forest management operations. In this sense, eco-forestry does account for a

small level of merchantability.

With climate change posing an ever-present challenge for forests worldwide, forest

managers should opt for eco-forestry over pure preservation. Not only is this helpful in

supporting a healthy watershed for Lee’s cranberry bogs, but Lee is now observing bird species,

snakes, and other wildlife in unprecedented numbers. The immense value of different forest

management techniques in creating varied habitats where biodiversity thrives cannot be

overstated. As Williams argues, “Effective management is the best climate adaptation; [it keeps]

the forest vibrant and productive.” In the Pine Barrens, a forest management plan that works to

reestablish historic woodland conditions through the use of fire and thinning might just be the key

to achieving this. Such techniques can also aid in the deterrence of pests such as the southern pine

beetle, says Williams, an increasingly widespread insect causing mortality among pine species,

particularly the pitch pine.

It is important to note some benefits of forest preservation should not be overlooked. For

example, large trees that have not been present in the Pine Barrens for hundreds of years are now

here again. In sections of Lee’s property now managed as open-canopy woodland, Williams says

this represents “what could be” of this ecosystem. Another benefit is that protective legislation of

the Pinelands has thwarted major development in this section in New Jersey. Considering this is

the most densely populated U.S., the Pinelands serve as a unique refuge for countless species.
 Nevertheless, in a fire-adapted ecosystem, it is misguided to exclude disturbance regimes

under forest preservation. There is an amazing seed bank in the Pinelands just waiting for fire and

disturbance, says Williams. He adds that this is hindered by both fire suppression and the

misperception of disturbance among environmentalists who make it increasingly difficult to

obtain approvals for prescribed fires.

With this in mind, Williams hopes for a rapid shift in perspectives so that effective forest

management can pave the way for productive, resilient forests supportive of healthy watersheds

in the face of climate change. “Environmentalists perpetuate lies – it is time for a new

generational change,” says Williams. “We need to be stewards of the land.”