Kayaking the Pine BarrensSouth Jersey’s Geology and Plant CommunitiesFS-006 / Room 112-AFriday, October 19, 2018: 7:45 am - 4:30 pm

Discover the magic of a hidden gem on a kayak tour through the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. Learn about the geology and plant communities of one of the most pristine ecosystems in the US. Discover adaptable plant species that can be applied to design.

PART 1: Introduction and Pine Barrens OverviewRosa Mannion, ASLA will give an overview to contextualize the Pine Barrens within New Jersey and the United States, relative to population density and overall development compared with ecological diversity.

PART 2: Soggy Ground:Valuing Pine Barrens WetlandsMark Demitroff will present an overview on how to read the wet environment of this tract long lauded by the scientific community. Climate-driven movement of frozen and thawing ground, along with strong winds from the nearby Laurentide Ice Sheet, have helped to fashion lowland Pinelands terrain into unique landscapes that nature lovers enjoy today. Ice Age landforms provide critical habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals. People have exploited wetland resources for over 14,000 years, and developed a distinctive agriculture to make barren ground productive. Their story will be woven together in a geographic tapestry of interactions between nature and society.

PART 3: Learning from Plants in the Pine BarrensStephen Panasci, ASLA will review individual plants and their larger plant communities for session attendees to be inspired by and to implement in their designs.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESt Learn about the relationship

between geology and landscapes in the Pine Barrens.

t Observe the diversity in wetland, floodplain, and pine forest ecosystems.

t Learn about and discuss the ecological and cultural context of the Pine Barrens.

t Discover individual plants and their larger plant communities to implement in designs.

OUR ROUTE

NOur route along the Mullica River. United States Geological Survey, Topo-graphic Map, Atsion Quadrangle, New Jersety, 7.5-Minute Series, 2014

Above and at right: the Pine Barrens location of our trip shown within the black circle. Above: Google Maps, New Jersey; Right: United States Geologi-cal Survey, Surficial Geologic Map of Central and Southern New Jersey, 2000, By Wayne Newll, David Powars, James Owens, Scott Standord, and Byron Stone.

SELECTED PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE PINE BARRENSPine-dominated forest

The pine dominated forest of the pine barrens’ dry uplands ispredominantly comprised of Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine), with several oakspecies at the tree and shrub layer including, Quercus velutina,Quercus prinus, Quercus alba, Quercus stellata, and Quercus coccinea. The under story is largely comprised of a dense mat of Vacciniumpallidum (Early Low Bush Blueberry,) and Gaylussacia baccata (Blackhuckleberry). In pockets, there are thickets of Kalmia latifolia(Mountain Laurel), and at the edges, Smilax glauca (Greenbriar). Naturalfires and prescribed burns maintain the pine forest by periodicallyburning the under story which drastically decreases the density of oakseedlings and shrubs that would otherwise compete with Pinus rigidafor dominance. The Pine-dominated forest is characteristic of themajority of the area defined as the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

Hardwood Swamp Forest

Within the Pine Barrens are several types of swamp habitats. One ofthe the most prominent types seen on the kayaking route on the MullicaRiver is the Hardwood Swamp Forest. The tree layer of this ecosystemis dominated by Acer rubrum (Red Maple), Liqudambar styraciflua (SweetGum), and Nyssa sylvatica (Sour Gum). The shrub layer and banks of therivers within the forest are dominated by Clethra alnifolia (SweetPepperbush), Rhododendron viscosum (Swamp Azalea), Ilex verticilata (Winterberry Holly), and Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry.) Theherb layer is predominantly comprised of Carex stricta (Tussock Sedge),Chasmanthium laxum (Slender Spike Grass), Mitchella repens(Partridgeberry), several ferns including Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern),and continuous mats of Sphagnum Moss (Peat Moss). This ecosystem isfound along much of the wooded riverbanks and low lying floodplains ofthe Mullica River.

South Jersey Fen

Another prominent swamp habitat scene on the kayak tour of the MullicaRiver is the South Jersey Fen. These swamps are characterized bysparse amounts of trees and shrubs including Chamaecyparis thyoides(Atlantic White Cedar), Acer rubrum, Pinus rigida, and Vacciniumcorymbosum. Where larger stretches of elevated land masses exist,several massing low shrubs thrive including Gaylussacia dumosa, Kalmiaangustifolia (Sheep’s Laurel), and Vaccinium macrocarpon (LargeCranberry). However these swamps are largely characterized by the densemasses of herbaceous plant species including Carex stricta,Rhynchospora capitellata (Common Beak-rush), Cladium mariscoides (Twig Rush), Carex bullata (Button Sedge), Glyceria obtusa (Blunt manna-grass), Andropogon glomeratus (Beardgrass), Triadenum virginicum (Marsh St. Johnswort), among many others. A unique set of plants in this swampecoysytem are a variety of carnivorous plants including Drosera spp., (Sundew) and Sarracenia (Pitcher Plant).

Pinus rigida (pitch pine).

Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush blueberry).

Carex stricta (Tussock Sedge).

Drossera (Sundew).

PRESENTERSRosa Mannion, ASLA • NV5

Rosa Mannion, ASLA, is a Principal Landscape Architect at NV5, a multi-disciplinary Philadelphia firm, and has been practicing in the field for 12 years, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 with a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. She has been instrumental on award-winning LEED-accredited regional projects and strives to balance the designed and the natural in all her work. Rosa fell in love with the Pine Barrens on a canoe trip and believes it to be one of the most magical places on the East Coast.

Mark Demitroff • Stockton University

Mark is an Adjunct Professor of Geology at Stockton University who grew up on a Pinelands poultry farm. He widely lectures and publishes on land-surface processes, past permafrost, and Pine Barrens geography. Mark practices as NJ Licensed Tree Expert #285, and serves on the boards of the US Permafrost Association and the South Jersey Culture and History Center, and is a member of the West Jersey Historical Round Table.

Stephen Panasci, ASLA • Sikora Wells Appel

Stephen, ASLA, is an emerging professional native to northern New Jersey with 4 years of professional experience as a Landscape Designer for Sikora Wells Appel in Haddonfield, NJ. Stephen gained valuable experience with ecological field work and working in public gardens while receiving a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from North Carolina State University in 2010, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Temple University in 2014. He strives to incorporate these experiences into his professional design work at Sikora Wells Appel. Stephen is currently an Adjunct Professor at University of Delaware, teaching ecological planting design.

Image Credits

Page 1:Top Left: Mullica River in the en:New Jersey Pine Barrens. Taken by en:User:Mwanner, 9 September, 2005. Originally uploaded to the Eng-lish Wikipedia: * 10:29, 15 September 2005 . Mwanner . .2048x1536 (1570598 bytes)

Top Right: Mullica River Moment, Pinelands Adventures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2xF5aMN2mE

Bottom Right: By Famartin [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Page 3:Pinus rigida. By Famartin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.

wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26227980

Vaccinium corymbosum. By Opioła Jerzy (Poland) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], from Wikimedia Commons

Carex stricta. By gmayfield10 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gmay-field10/6405964869/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17655729

Sundew. Round-leaf Sundew in Sphagnum Moss © Noah Elhardt, Pinelands Preservation Alliance

ASLA Field Session-Kayaking the Pine BarrensSouth Jersey’s Geology and Plant Communities

A Field Guide of Native Plants Adaptable to Ecological Planting Design

Rosa Mannion, RLA, ASLA, NV5Sarah Willig, PhD, Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania

Stephen Panasci, RLA, ASLA, Sikora Wells Appel

Pinus rigidaPitch PineHt/Spread: 50’-60’/25’-30’Fruit: Pine ConeEvergreenHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Quercus velutinaBlack OakHt/Spread: 50’-60’/50’-60’Fruit: AcornHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Quercus prinusChestnut OakHt/Spread: 50’-80’/50’-80’Fruit: AcornHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Quercus albaWhite OakHt/Spread: 50’-80’/50’-80’Fruit: AcornHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Acer rubrumRed MapleHt/Spread: 40’-70’/30’-50’Flower: Red-Mid SpringFruit: SemaraFall Color: Vibrant RedHabitat: Hardwood Swamp and South Jersey Fen

Chamaecyparis thyoidesAtlantic White CedarHt/Spread: 30’-50’/30’-40’Fruit: ConeEvergreenHabitat: Hardwood Swamp, Cedar Swamp and South Jersey Fen

Liquidambar styracifluaSweet GumHt/Spread: 60’-80’/40’-60’Bloom: Yellow-SpringFruit: Spiked BallFall Color: Red/OrangeHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Nyssa sylvaticaBlack/Sour Gum or Black TupeloHt/Spread: 30’-50’/20’-30’Bloom: Greenish White-SpringFruit: Black BerryFall Color: Red/OrangeHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Gaylussacia baccataBlack HuckleberryHt/Spread: 1’-2’/1’-3’Bloom: Pink-SpringFruit: Black BerryFall Color: Red/OrangeHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Vaccinium pallidumEarly Low Bush BlueberryHt/Spread: 1’-2’/1’-3’ (Clonal)Bloom: White-SpringFruit: BlueberryFall Color: Red/OrangeHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Carex pensylvanicaPennsylvania SedgeHt/Spread: .5’-1’/1’-1.5’ (Rhizominous)Bloom: Yellow-Summer/FallFall/Winter Foliage-BrownHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Schizachyrium scopariumLittle BluestemHt/Spread: 2’-4’/1.5’-2’ Bloom: Red/Brown-Summer/FallFall/Winter Color: BronzeHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest

Kalmia latifoliumMountain LaurelHt/Spread: 5’-15’/5’-15’ Bloom: White/Pink-Late SpringEvergreenHabitat: Pine Dominant Forest, Hardwood Swamp

Ilex verticillataWinterberry HollyHt/Spread: 3’-12’/3’-12’ Bloom: White-Late SpringFruit: Red BerryFall Color: YellowHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Clethra alnifoliaSweet PepperbushHt/Spread: 3’-8’/4’-6’ Bloom: White-SummerFruit: Brown Seed ChainsFall Color: YellowHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Rhododendron viscosumSwamp AzaleaHt/Spread: 3’-5’/3’-5’ Bloom: White-Late SpringFall Color: Yellow/OrangeHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Eubotrys (Leucothoe) racemosa Fetter BushHt/Spread: 4’-6’/4’-6’ Bloom: White-Late Spring/SummerFruit: Black BerriesFall Color: Burgundy/RedHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Kalmia angustifoliaSheep’s LaurelHt/Spread: 1’-3’/2’-4’ Bloom: Pink-SummerEvergreenHabitat: Hardwood Swamp, South Jersey Fen

Vaccinium corymbosum High Bush BlueberryHt/Spread: 6’-12’/8’-12’ Bloom: White-SpringFruit: BleberriesFall Color: Red/OrangeHabitat: Hardwood Swamp

Osmunda regalisRoyal FernHt/Spread: 2’-3’/2’-3’ Spore Fronds: Brown-Summer/FallHabitat: Hardwood Swamp, South Jersey Fen

Carex strictaTussock SedgeHt/Spread: 1’-3’/1’-2’ Bloom: Yellow/Brown-Summer/FallFall/Winter Foliage-BrownHabitat: Hardwood Swamp, South Jersey Fen

Andropogon glomeratusBeard GrassHt/Spread: 3’-6’/2’-3’ Bloom: Brown-FallFall/Winter Foliage-BrownHabitat: South Jersey Fen

Triadenum virginicumMarsh St JohnswortHt/Spread: 1’-2’/1’-2’ Bloom: Pink/Purple-SummerFall/Winter Foliage-purpleHabitat: South Jersey Fen