Forest Service promoting shortleaf pine restoration in Pinelands

TRENTON — As a partner in a multistate initiative, the N.J. Dept. of Environmental Protection is encouraging landowners in the Pinelands to use technical assistance and expertise available through the New Jersey Forest Service to help restore shortleaf pine trees to the region.
The Forest Service—a partner in the Shortleaf Pine Initiative comprising 22 states, federal forestry and wildlife organizations, and other partners—offers technical and other assistance to help landowners incorporate the species into their forest management plans.
“New Jersey’s Pinelands is globally recognized for unique ecosystems that support a wide variety of plants and animals, some found in few places outside this region,” DEP Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe said. “While the pitch pine is the predominant tree species in the Pinelands, reestablishing shortleaf pine helps restore a species that once had a bigger presence in the region and create opportunities for greater wildlife diversity.”
The shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is found in the eastern and southern United States and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma. New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania represent the northernmost extent of its range. In the Pinelands, the species prefers drier upland habitats. It is one of many species the Forest Service is working to restore across the state.
Shortleaf pine has declined across much of its range because of insect damage, disease, competition from other species, inadequate forest management practices in the past and changes in land use patterns.
New Jersey has more than 400,000 acres of pine forests in the Pinelands region. The shortleaf pine represents only about 2 percent of the total.
Landowners interested in managing shortleaf pine on their properties and funding assistance opportunities may contact Forest Service Supervising Forester Jon Klischies at 609- 984-0827, or find a state-approved forester at www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/forest/ACF.pdf.