New Yorkers will be happy to know this land is already protected for them to enjoy.

The Northern Pine Oak Forest is also known as The Pine Barrens along the New York Coastal Plain.

This picture is from the Nature Conservancy, so I will let their webpage make the introduction.

This large tract (click here) of preserved land (53,000-acre core area; 50,000-acre Compatible Growth Area) is a diverse mosaic of pitch pine woodlands, pitch pine-oak forests, coastal plain ponds, swamps, marshes, grasslands and streams. The Pine Barrens overlies Long Island’s freshwater aquifer and helps to purify Long Island's treasured drinking water.

ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

The Pine Barrens is a large, contiguous, ecologically functional landscape in the midst of a heavily urbanized area. It is The Nature Conservancy's challenge to protect the hydrological and ecological integrity of the Long Island Pine Barrens while recognizing human needs and accommodating development in the adjacent compatible growth area (Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Area). For a wealth of information, visit the Central Pine Barrens Commission website....