DE Redden State Forest: Georgetown Tract, 5 Mile Loop (click here)
In forestry circles, (click here) monocultures don’t get high marks. Most planted forests have just one kind of tree, and because of this they are often looked down upon as biological Levittowns: boring forests that are of little interest to other species.
Sometimes, however, nature does a pretty good imitation of a plantation, even if she does a poor job at keeping the trees in rows.
Pitch pine forests, like those that make up the New Jersey Pine Barrens, are a good example of a natural monoculture. The New Jersey forest is roughly 30 by 80 miles and has been dominated by pitch pine since the retreat of the last glacier.
How can one species dominate for so long? In this case, fire, and pitch pine’s adaptations to fire, have kept the forest in a state of ecological inertia. Continuous cycles of burning and re-sprouting prevent the progression of what would normally be considered a pioneer forest to one with more typical climax species.
Even when all of the needles on a pitch pine are burned, the crown can recover and be almost back to normal in just a few years. If the leader is killed, a new one may grow, and if most of the tree is killed, new sprouts will emerge from the trunk or the base of the trunk. The ability to sprout from the trunk is common in hardwoods but rare in a conifer. Dormant buds buried deep in the thick bark of a pitch pine come to life after a fire or other injury to the crown....
