corner of the state, and Uttertown in adjacent Passaic 

 County (D. Snyder, pers. comm). At least eight other 

 sites in glaciated New Jersey had once supported 

 cedar (Britton 1889; Gifford 1896; Heusser 1963). 



The higher elevation areas show no ev- 

 idence of the existence of earlier, more extensive 

 stands. The Hackensack Meadows, however, was 

 covered by great cedar wetlands which were first 

 described in botanical detail by Torrey and his co- 

 workers (1819). In the mid-eighteenth century, huge 

 fires were set in these swamps to eliminate hiding- 

 places for bandits terrorizing the region. At about the 

 same time, extensive systems of dikes, ditches, and 

 tide-gates were built in a fruitless series of attempts 

 to cultivate the wetlands. Chamaecyparis is now 

 completely extirpated in the Hackensack Meadows. 

 The region's original botanical richness and its sub- 

 sequent decline were recorded by a series of eminent 

 naturalists (reviewed and correlated by Sipple (1 971 - 

 1972)(Figure12). 



The high-elevation cedar swamp in High 

 Point, protected by the State of New Jersey since 

 1923, is now buffered by 516 ha of the Kuser Natural 

 Area (New Jersey Bureau of Forest Management 

 1984). Its 4-6 ha of mixed dense coniferous-decid- 

 uous forest grow on a few dm of woody peat (Belling 

 1977). Great laurel forms most of the dense under- 

 growth in deep shade; in more open sections, other 

 heath shrubs (primarily Ericaceae) predominate. 

 Herbs are relatively rare and scattered (Niering 1 953; 

 Belling unpubl.). 



The cedar forests of glaciated New Jersey 

 strongly resemble the most northerly stands of the 

 species. The only report for balsam fir {Abies bal- 

 samea) in the state, and its sole sighting in a 

 Chamaecyparis association outside of Maine is at 

 High Point (Belling 1977). Larch, black spruce, and 

 hemlock occur with C. thyoides only within the 

 glaciated portion of the cedar's range. 



2.3 THE NORTH COASTAL PLAIN 



2.3.1 Jersey Pinelands 



Most of New Jersey's Atlantic white cedar 

 swamps are located in the state's southern 

 pinelands, historically called the Pine Barrens. Cedar 

 stands presently occupy about 8,680 ha, 2% of this 

 445,000 ha landscape (Roman and Good 1983). Ac- 

 counts of Stone (1911), Harshberger (1916) and 

 Wacker (1979) suggest that cedar swamp acreage 

 has been declining since European settlement. His- 

 torical estimates, although widely variable, docu- 

 ment the reduction from a maximum of 40,500 ha 

 (Vermeuleand Pinchot 1900; Cottrell 1929; Ferguson 

 and Meyer 1974). 



Southern New Jersey's coastal plain is char- 

 acterized by low relief with streams slowly flowing 

 through an unconsolidated sand/gravel substrate. 

 The cedar swamps generally form narrow borders on 

 streams from headwaters to tidal freshwater Of 626 

 discrete cedar swamp patches in the Pinelands, over 

 90% are less than or equal to 40 ha. A few cedar 

 swamps over 200 ha in area also occur (Zampella 

 1987). 



Poorly drained muck (fine organic) soils 

 usually underlie the Pinelands cedar swamps. Muck 

 depth, generally shallower than in northern glaciated 

 Jersey, is often less than 1 m, ranging occasionally 

 to 3 m. (Waksman et al. 1943). 



Undisturbed mature Pinelands cedar stands 

 are dense and even aged, with canopies 15-18 m 

 high (McCormick 1979). Pitch pine {Pinus rigida) is 

 an occasional co-dominant. The understory of red 

 maple, black gum {Nyssa sylvatica), and sweet bay 

 (Magnolia virginiana) may be continuous, relatively 

 sparse, or absent. Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium 

 corymbosum) , dangleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa), 

 swamp azalea (Rtiododendron viscosum), sweet 

 pepperbush (Clettira ainifolia), fetterbush (Lyonia 

 mariana), and bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) are 

 the commonest species in the shrub layer Hollows 

 are conspicuously carpeted with Sphagnum spp. 

 The herbaceous flora is usually sparse, but diverse. 

 Sundews (Drosera spp.), bladderworts (Utricularia 

 spp.), pitcher plant, and chain fern (Woodwardia vir- 

 ginica) are the commonest herbs. In New Jersey, the 

 rare curly grass fern (Schizaea pusilla) is found only 

 in the Pine Barrens. 



Reviews of the literature and much detailed 

 information about Atlantic white cedar in the Jersey 

 Pinelands are contained in the Pinelands National 

 Reserve Management Plan (New Jersey Pinelands 

 Commission [NJPC] 1980); Roman et al. (1987, and 

 unpubl.); and Forman (1979). Buchholz and Good 

 (1 982) prepared extensive annotated Pinelands bibli- 

 ographies with sections indexed for Chamaecyparis. 



Disturbances such as fire, storms 

 (windthrow, ice damage), cutting, flooding, deer 

 browse on young stands, beaver damming, cranber- 

 ry cultivation, and subsequent abandonment cause 

 considerable variation in the vegetation structure 

 and species composition of Pinelands cedar 

 swamps. Such disturbances may be followed by the 

 growth of cedars in pure stands, in mixed cedar- 



16 



