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Atlantic White Cedar Restoration
LOCATION: Brendan T. Byrne and Wharton State Forests in Burlington County
PURPOSE: To restore Atlantic White Cedar (AWC) forested acreage in the two State forests identified above.
BACKGROUND:New Jersey’s Atlantic White Cedar is steadily declining from its historical average of approximately 115,000 acres to its current area of fewer than 30,000 acres. The decline is the result of development (including building of roads and man-made lakes), improper logging, pressure from white-tailed deer, wildfire, hydrologic change, excessive flooding from beaver dams, theft, salt water intrusion, and succession. Without conservation and restoration efforts, the Atlantic White Cedar population will continue to decline, eventually causing the loss of pure stands of this increasingly rare tree species. The New Jersey Forest Service requested $21,540.00 in funding from ONRR to restore a total of 13.3 acres of Atlantic White Cedar in Brendan T. Byrne and Wharton State Forests.
FUNDING: ONRR provided funding to the New Jersey Forest Service from moneys recovered from NRD settlements deposited in the Mullica Watershed Management Area-14 account. The restoration in both state forests is located in this watershed.
BENEFITS: Atlantic White Cedar stands have ecological significance as they filter and purify water by absorbing and filtering pollutants and sediment, stabilize stream flows by storing floodwaters, and mitigate the effects of drought. They also benefit a wide variety of plant and animal species including several threatened and endangered species, and may act as natural fire breaks.
PROJECT SUMMARY: Restoration efforts are ongoing and consist of mechanical removal of hardwood, pine, and shrub competition, application of herbicide that would not harm residual Atlantic White Cedar, installation of deer fencing, planting with Atlantic White Cedar seedlings, and monitoring the sites for survival and success.
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