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42-537: Rancocas Creek rises as two main branches in the Pinelands National Reserve . The North Branch rises in northern Burlington County , in Mirror Lake , just south of Fort Dix . It flows west-northwest past Mount Holly . The South Branch rises in central Burlington County near Chatsworth and flows generally northwest. It receives the 13.8-mile-long (22.2 km) Southwest Branch from

84-535: A comprehensive management plan (CMP), which became effective on January 14, 1981. The Pinelands Commission set a one year period from the effective date, with $ 600,000 provided by the New Jersey Legislature from 1980–1982, for municipalities and counties to conform to the standards of the CMP. In July 1981, New Hanover Township became the first municipality to have its master plan approved by

126-651: A development management plan for the Pinelands. The main point of disagreement was the role of federal oversight. On February 24, 1977, Senator Frank Church (D- ID ) sponsored the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 as an Omnibus bill , which included legislation for the Pinelands National Reserve. New Jersey Representatives Edwin B. Forsythe and William J. Hughes proposed bills H.R. 9539 and H.R. 9539 to preserve

168-1044: A species of Cupressaceae , is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to Georgia and along the Gulf of Mexico coast from Florida to Mississippi . It is one of two species of Chamaecyparis found in North America. C. thyoides resides on the East Coast and C. lawsoniana can be found on the West Coast . There are two geographically isolated subspecies , treated by some botanists as distinct species, by others at just varietal rank: Chamaecyparis thyoides thyoides and Chamaecyparis thyoides henryae (H.L.Li) E.Murray (syn. Chamaecyparis thyoides subsp. henryae (H.L.Li) Little; Chamaecyparis henryae H.L.Li) The species grows in forested wetlands where they tend to dominate

210-635: A year old have needle-like leaves. The tree is bare of branches for three-fourths of the trunk height and the bark can be ash-gray to reddish brown. Bark is smooth on juveniles, but mature trees have deep ridges and bark as thick as 5 cm (2 in). C. thyoides is monoecious , so a single tree will carry both the pollen and seeds needed for reproduction in cones. The seed cones are globose , 4–9 mm ( 5 ⁄ 32 – 11 ⁄ 32  in) diameter, with 6-10 scales (1-2 seeds per scale), green or purple, maturing to brown in 5–7 months after pollination. The pollen cones are yellow but turn brown as

252-558: Is a national reserve that encompasses much of the New Jersey Pine Barrens . The Pinelands is a unique location of historic villages and berry farms amid the vast oak-pine forests ( pine barrens ), extensive wetlands, and diverse species of plants and animals of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion . It is protected by state and federal legislation through management by local, state, and federal governments and

294-1099: Is administered by the Pinelands Commission, an independent body consisting of 15 members. One member is appointed by the Secretary of the Interior ; seven are appointed by the Governor of New Jersey subject to the approval of the New Jersey Senate ; one member is appointed by the respective governing bodies of the seven counties in the Pinelands National Reserve: Atlantic , Burlington , Camden , Cape May , Cumberland , Gloucester and Ocean counties. Commission terms are three years in length and include no official compensation. The commission meets monthly, as do most of its sub-committees. Its mission statement indicates its role "is to preserve, protect, and enhance

336-508: Is an evergreen coniferous tree usually growing to 20–28 m (66–92 ft) (but may grow up to 35 m (115 ft)) tall with an average diameter of 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in), up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), and feathery foliage in moderately flattened sprays, green to glaucous blue-green in color. The leaves are scale-like, 2–4 mm ( 3 ⁄ 32 – 5 ⁄ 32  in) long, and produced in opposite decussate pairs on somewhat flattened shoots; seedlings up to

378-430: Is considered an obligate wetland species . It prefers habitats where the soil is saturated with water at least during the majority of the growing season. The soils in these regions have a thick organic layer, often classified as a histic surface horizon , with sandy material at greater depths and poor drainage. Atlantic white cedar wetlands are acidic and there is little oxygen stored in the soil because water has displaced

420-425: Is of some importance in horticulture , with several cultivars of varying crown shape, growth rates and foliage color having been selected for garden planting. Named cultivars include 'Aurea' (yellow foliage), 'Heatherbun' (dwarf, purple in winter), 'Andelyensis' (dwarf, dense foliage), 'Ericoides' (juvenile foliage), and 'Glauca' (strongly glaucous foliage). In some locations, particularly Mobile County, Alabama ,

462-562: Is the greatest producer of lumber for boat construction because it has the greatest number of old-growth C. thyoides forests. Other uses include fencing, telephone and electric poles, woodenware, duck decoys , lawn furniture, and as Christmas trees. Prior to European colonization of the Americas , there were an estimated 500,000 acres (200,000 ha) of swamps and bogs dominated by stands of Atlantic white cedars. At present, less than 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) still remain. Though

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504-844: The 2010 census . Included in the Pinelands National Reserve are 29 villages located in 16 municipalities, with 19 of the villages located in forest areas. Within the Reserve is the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer , which contains over 17 trillion gallons of potable water. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pinelands National Reserve has two climate zones; warm summer humid continental ( Dfb ) in northern, central and western sections with humid subtropical ( Cfa ) in eastern and southern sections. Average annual snowfall totals increase from southeast to northwest and range from 15-22 inches (38–56 cm). According to

546-513: The 95th Congress " in his signing statement . The National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 created the Pinelands National Reserve, which consisted of 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha) of land in 56  South Jersey municipalities . It was the "largest tract of wild land along the Middle Atlantic Seaboard", according to President Carter's briefing on a September 20, 1978 trip the president took to Atlantic City . Upon

588-519: The Atlantic coastal plain began to form. Over millions of years, the rising and falling of the coastline deposited minerals underground, culminating with the end of the last ice age about 12,000 years ago, when plants and trees began growing in what is now New Jersey . Around 10,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Lenape people first inhabited the Pine Barrens. During the 17th century,

630-735: The East Coast and Gulf Coast . Rare populations grow in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains , where the tree may be found up to 460 m above sea level. Nationally, Atlantic white cedar is protected in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge , Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge , Pinelands National Reserve , Cape Cod National Seashore , Croatan National Forest , Francis Marion National Forest , Ocala National Forest , and Apalachicola National Forest . Altered fire regimes , logging, and draining of wetlands outside of

672-798: The Pinelands Protection Act , which passed in June 1979. The state Pinelands Area omitted 162,000 acres (66,000 ha) of land east of the Garden State Parkway and near the Delaware Bay. On August 8, 1980, the Pinelands Commission approved the Protection Area, an area of unbroken forest covering 39% of the National Reserve. For the remainder of the reserve, the Pinelands Commission created

714-402: The canopy . The trees are associated with a wide variety of other wetland species because of their wide north-south range. The remaining populations are now found mostly in remote locations that would be difficult to harvest, so its popularity as a source of lumber has decreased. Chamaecyparis thyoides grows within 100 miles of the coastline and less than 50 m above sea level along much of

756-637: The CMP; the New Jersey Appellate Court ruled on June 16 on behalf of the Pinelands Commission. A subsequent appeal by the county failed. By December 1983, 70% of the municipalities within the Pinelands National Reserve had revised local master plans and met approval by the Pinelands Commission; by the same time, four out of seven counties developed master plans to focus growth in selected areas. In that same time period, 85% of all approved requests for property development occurred in regional growth areas. The Pinelands National Reserve

798-460: The Pinelands Commission. In January 1982, after the one year approval period ended, the Pinelands Commission worked with the remaining municipalities and counties updating their master plans. For the towns that refused to comply, the commission announced it would implement the CMP, thus overseeing the local development approval process. In June 1982, Atlantic County sued the Pinelands Commission on behalf of Galloway Township , which wanted to opt out of

840-682: The Pinelands Regional Planning Board proposed building a "supersonic jetport" in Ocean County to alleviate flight traffic in the New York metro . This project would develop a satellite city of about 250,000 people, and would cover about 50 sq mi (130 km ) in ecologically sensitive parts of the Pine Barrens. The proposed airport generated public opposition and united conservation efforts among farmers, hunters, and environmentalists, who believed that

882-705: The Pinelands, which became attached to the omnibus bill in an amendment, sponsored by Congressmen Forsythe, Hughes, and James Florio . The bill passed in the United States Senate on October 27, 1977. A similar bill passed in the House of Representatives on July 12, 1978. After further changes passed by both houses, United States President Jimmy Carter signed the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 on November 10, considering it "the most significant conservation legislation to pass

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924-630: The Preservation Area on November 21, which consisted of towns, farmlands, and other areas. The plan became effective under state law on January 14, 1981, and two days later, Interior Secretary Cecil D. Andrus approved of the Comprehensive Management Plan. In the same year, Rutgers University established the Rutgers Division of Pinelands Research to support local ecological research. In 1983,

966-536: The USDA, there are three plant hardiness zones ; 6b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of -5 to 0 °F (-21 to -18 °C) in interior sections away from the coast, 7a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 0 to 5 °F (-18 to -15 °C) north of Great Bay near the coast to south of Great Bay just inland from the coast, and 7b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 5 to 10 °F (-15 to -12 °C) south of Great Bay near

1008-596: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) designated the Pinelands as a biosphere reserve , labeling it jointly as the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve /Pinelands National Reserve . In 1988, UNESCO redesignated it as a singular biosphere reserve . The text of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 directed for the planning entity to develop

1050-540: The air. Plants that live in these environments must be specially adapted to such conditions. Red maple and black gum trees are often found in the canopy along with Atlantic white cedar throughout its range. Sphagnum mosses also often grow in these wetlands. The caterpillar of the Hessel's hairstreak butterfly feeds exclusively on C. thyoides, where its green color helps to camouflage it. The trees themselves grow on hummocks , small mounds, with water pooling in

1092-511: The area was explored and settled by the Swedish , Dutch , and the English, eventually becoming a part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Settlers in the region used the area's cedar , oak , and pitch trees, as well as local tar and turpentine, for sawmill , gristmill , and shipbuilding industry. The earliest efforts to protect the New Jersey Pine Barrens started in the 1960s. In 1964,

1134-426: The average water level, but this bridge has been closed for several years and was physically removed in its entirety in 2020/2021. This bridge had the capability for the center section of the bridge to swivel from the perpendicular to the river to parallel, to allow small boat traffic through. After rehabilitation of the bridge in the 1980s, the powered mechanism was removed due to the near-lack of creek barge traffic and

1176-556: The coast. The Pinelands feature the largest areas of forests along the East Coast of the United States between northern Maine and the Florida Everglades . There are 580 native species of plants, 54 of which are threatened or endangered. The Pinelands Reserve hosts 299 species of birds, 91 fish, 59 reptiles and amphibians, and 39 mammals. In 2015, a new lichen species, Lecanora layana ,

1218-427: The depressions surrounding them. This keeps the tree from being underwater year-round and helps to protect from floods. The tree benefits from periodic low-intensity fires which expose seedlings to sunlight and limit competition with other canopy flora , particularly red maple. Too frequent or intense fires or flooding can damage seedlings stored in the top layer of soil and full-grown trees. Chamaecyparis thyoides

1260-699: The expense of maintenance. The bridge could be opened in case of emergency, but required manual labor to be swiveled open. The creek is navigable for approximately 10 miles (16 km) upstream from its mouth on the Delaware. On April 23, 1853, the engineer of Camden & Amboy's 2 p.m. train out of Philadelphia missed stop signals and ran his train off an open drawspan between modern-day Riverside and Delanco on Rancocas Creek. There were no fatalities. 40°01′23″N 74°55′08″W  /  40.023°N 74.919°W  / 40.023; -74.919 Pinelands National Reserve Pinelands National Reserve

1302-640: The few protected areas have all contributed to the general decrease in the size and occurrences of Atlantic white cedar stands. The tree is listed as Rare in Georgia and New York , of Special Concern in Maine, and Extirpated in Pennsylvania . In Mississippi, the species is at risk of extirpation as a consequence of overexploitation, changes in land use, and extreme weather events. Chamaecyparis thyoides lives almost exclusively in freshwater wetlands and

Rancocas Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-531: The land. The bill also directed for the Interior Secretary to request the state of New Jersey to establish "a planning entity to a comprehensive management plan for the Pinelands National Reserve." In accordance with the law, New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne issued an executive order on February 8, 1979, creating the Pinelands Commission. This was affirmed by the New Jersey legislature in

1386-480: The natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve, and to encourage compatible economic and other human activities consistent with that purpose." As legislated by the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978, the Pinelands National Reserve consisted of about 1,140,000 acres (461,000 hectares) of pine-oak forest. The territory crosses seven counties and encompasses all or parts of 56  municipalities , with about 870,000 people as of

1428-431: The passage of the bill, the Pinelands National Reserve became the country's first National Reserve. The act authorized $ 23 million for land acquisition of critically important ecological areas. Congress noted the need for local, state, and federal government, along with the private sector, to collectively manage and preserve the water and land resources of the Pinelands, without large-scale direct federal acquisition of

1470-452: The primary material. The wood was favored for roof shingles because it is lightweight, but has since been replaced by cheaper and more fire-resistant materials such as asphalt. The durability of the heartwood makes it popular for use as siding and paneling, and the less resistant sapwood has been used for interior finishes. White cedar lumber has also been used in boat construction , but this requires much older, larger trees. North Carolina

1512-426: The private sector. The reserve contains Wharton State Forest , Brendan T. Byrne State Forest , Bass River State Forest , Penn State Forest , and Double Trouble State Park , which provide public recreation facilities. Established by Congress in 1978, it is one of the nation's first national reserves, established along with Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve . Between 170–200 million years ago,

1554-400: The region was vulnerable to the spread of urban sprawl of the northeastern United States . Due to the large size of the forest, as well as 300 years of human development, the area could not be protected and preserved in its entirety. The United States Department of the Interior worked with officials from New Jersey, as well as the state's Senate and Congressional delegation, to develop

1596-625: The south approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Mount Holly . The North and South branches join near Rancocas State Park , approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of Mount Holly, near the crossing of the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295 . A few hundred yards downstream of the Interstate 295 and New Jersey Turnpike bridges, Burlington County Route 635 passes over the Creek on a bridge built less than 4 feet (1.2 m) over

1638-410: The tree increase steadily until the tree is 50 years old, at which point height growth slows. Both height and diameter no longer increase once the tree is 100 years old. Stands are generally all younger than 200 years, though some trees as old as 1000 years have been reported. Because they have relatively shallow roots, C. thyoides are vulnerable to being blown over by wind. Chamaecyparis thyoides

1680-419: The tree is cultivated as a Christmas tree . Its wood is considered hardy, as it is resistant to decay and warping in a variety of temperatures and moisture levels. The most common use of white cedar wood is lumber, for which stands usually require 70 years of growth from germination to harvest. The lumber may be used in house construction, though scarcity of Atlantic white cedar makes it difficult to use as

1722-421: The tree matures, 1.5–3 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 – 1 ⁄ 8  in) long and 1–2 mm ( 1 ⁄ 32 – 3 ⁄ 32  in) broad, releasing their yellow pollen once a year in spring. The tree begins bearing seeds at 4–5 years, but does not reach full maturity and start producing cones until it is 10-20 years old. Seeds are dispersed nearly every year and travel by wind. Height and diameter of

Rancocas Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-426: Was discovered in the Pinelands National Reserve. According to the text of the act passed by Congress, the ecological diversity "provides significant ecological, natural, cultural, recreational, educational, agricultural, and public health benefits." Chamaecyparis thyoides Chamaecyparis thyoides ( Atlantic white cedar , Atlantic white cypress , southern white cedar , whitecedar , or false-cypress ),

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