FIGURE 1: PINELANDS SUBREGIONS, VEGETATION TYPES AND FIRE ECOLOGY***** Viewed at a broad scale, the New Jersey Pinelands and outer coastal plain can be divided into five subregions (see Figure 1), each area having similar vegetation types, physical landscape and fire ecology. These subregions include the A) oak-hardwood subregion, B) coastal oak-pine-holly subregion, C) southern oak-pine subregion, D) western pine-oak subregion, and E) plains-barrens subregion.***** OAK-HARDWOOD SUBREGION (A of Figure 1): there are rich silty soils in the uplands (now mostly converted to agricultural), and a fire-reducing western edge effect which likely made the fire regime relatively mild and infrequent in this subregion. Vegetation types with a greater importance of fire sensitive tree oaks and hardwoods prevailed, including mesic oak-hardwood forest similar to those of the inner coastal plain.***** COASTAL OAK-PINE-HOLLY SUBREGION (B of Figure 1): there are mostly loamy uplands which are relatively small in size, as well as large and numerous swamp firebreaks and a coastal edge effect which collectively reduce fire frequency and intensity in this subregion. As a result, vegetation types with a greater importance of fire sensitive tree oaks, hardwoods and holly prevail, including oak-pine forest, oak-hardwood-holly forest, oak-pine-holly forest and pine-oak-holly forest.***** SOUTHERN OAK-PINE SUBREGION (C of Figure 1): there are mostly broad loamy uplands associated with deposits of the Bridgeton Formation, the higher clay and moisture content of soils apparently reducing the frequency of intense fires in this subregion. As a result, oak-pine forests dominate in most of the uplands. Scattered, geometrically shaped pine uplands are also found in uplands where old fields have been colonized by pine succession. Some pine-dominated forests and pitch pine lowlands are found at lower elevations where the underlying Cohansey sands are exposed.***** WESTERN PINE-OAK SUBREGION (D of Figure 1): there are sandy to loamy uplands of various size, large and numerous swamp firebreaks, and an interplay between the fire-reducing western edge effect and fire-promoting central core effect on the fire regime, making fire frequency and intensity highly variable in this subregion. As a result, there is a complex mosaic of vegetation types, including oak-pine forest, pine-oak forest, pine-oak uplands, pine uplands, pine-oak-shrub oak woodlands, mixed pine-shrub oak barrens, and pitch pine-shrub oak barrens. The Pineland’s most extensive areas of pitch pine lowlands are found in this subregion, an extremely flammable wetland type which increases fire potential in the subregion during dry periods.***** PLAINS-BARRENS SUBREGION (E of Figure 1): here are broad, sandy uplands with few wetland firebreaks, located within the central core of the Pinelands where fires can spread in from all directions but especially from the west, making this the most frequently burned, fire-prone part of the Pinelands. As a result, the most fire-dependent species such as pitch pine, shrub oaks and sun-loving ground cover dominate here within the most fire-dependent vegetation types, including dwarf pine plains, pitch pine-shrub oak barrens and pine-oak-shrub oak woodlands.***** Vegetation patterns of the Pinelands can be understood in terms of broad fire regime gradients. Based on the fire-survival traits of the dominant plant species in Pinelands vegetation types, intense fire return intervals probably averaged about 5-10 years in open canopy dwarf pine plains and some pitch pine lowland types, 15-25 years in open canopy pitch pine-shrub oak barrens, mixed pine-shrub oak barrens and most pitch pine lowland types, 25-35 years in pine-oak-shrub oak woodlands, 40-60 years in pine-oak forest and pine uplands, 60-100 years in oak-pine forest, and over 100 years in Atlantic white cedar swamps, hardwood swamps, and peripheral Pinelands uplands with oak-hardwood, oak-heath or oak-pine-holly forest.***** Andy 1999. Fire ecology of the New Jersey Pine Plains and vicinity. Ph.D. Dissertation. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. New Brunswick, New Jersey.