Atlantic white cedar swamps are habitat for swamp pink (Helonias bullata), a federally-threatened and state-endangered flower of the lily family, as well as many other plant species distinct to the pinelands. In addition to plants, cedar swamps are a valuable habitat for the fauna of the Pinelands. At least one member of the butterfly and moth family, Hessel’s hairstreak (Mitoura hesseli), is exclusively dependent on Atlantic white cedar swamps, and is a species of special concern in New Jersey. Cedar swamps provide winter hibernation habitat for the state-endangered Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus).

The microsite conditions that make cedar swamps valuable to wildlife also make these sites valuable in their provision of ecosystem services, like water quality. Wetlands in general, and cedar swamps in particular are moderated environments in comparison to the surrounding landscape. Cedar swamps provide continuous cover throughout the year, creating a cool, shaded environment in the summer, and radiative cover in the winter.

Streams in the Pinelands are almost exclusively supplied by groundwater; the cedar helps to moderate base flow and acts as a filter for nutrients in water. Peat formed in the muck soils of cedar swamps removes and stores nutrients and pollutants from the water including significant quantities of carbon, providing a stable long-term carbon sink. The natural organic compounds found in the muck soils of cedar swamps contribute largely to the Pinelands region’s characteristic red-brown water color. The contribution of cedar swamps to the character of the Pinelands and its water cannot be understated.

Since early colonial times, cedar wood has been highly prized for its durability, quality, and light weight. For centuries this caused it to be harvested without an eye towards re-growing the cedar that was extracted.

Today, our cedar resource is at a tipping point. The natural ecological processes that led to its formation have been interrupted for hundreds of years, threatening its existence. Rather than let this unique and valuable ecosystem be whittled away to meaninglessness, we can achieve ecosystem restoration through attention and forest management. We must allow the ecological processes that sustained cedar through the millennia back on the landscape – continuous stands of cedar along drainages, and encouragement of self-sustaining natural regeneration following disturbance.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has a robust natural resource damage program that compels polluters to not only clean up their environmental contamination but also to restore impacted natural resource to their pre-discharge condition. Funding for the Atlantic white cedar restoration project comes from settlements with polluters who have impacted the public’s ground and surface waters with their contamination. Atlantic white cedar forests provide tremendous benefits to the hydrology of the Pinelands, a region specifically protected for its ground and surface water resources. Restoring 10,000 acres of Atlantic white cedar will go a long way in offsetting the impacts of ground and surface water pollution.

The New Jersey Forest Service led a rigorous stakeholder process to identify and prioritize suitable areas for Atlantic white cedar restoration on State-owned property.