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New York State's Central Pine Barrens

*Pine Barrens Region*	*Research*	*Environmental Hotlines*
*Act, Commission, Plan, & Development*	*Twinnings*	*Calendar & Agendas (8/17/06)*
*Stewardship (Enforcement, Management, Fire)*	*Publications, Maps, Info*	*Fire Danger (8/22/06)*
*Recreation*	*Contact Info*	*Related Links*
*Pine Barrens Credits (TDR)*	*Site Map, Index & Glossary*	*What's new on site?*

Fire Danger Rating:
MODERATE
(About the ratings: pdf; Also see NWS Fire Weather Forecast)

The Central Pine Barrens Region

New York's southeasternmost county, Suffolk, occupies the eastern end of Long Island, containing over 900 square miles of terrestrial and marine environments. Three of Suffolk County's ten towns host the 100,000+ acre, New York State designated region known as the Central Pine Barrens.

A rich concoction of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, surface and ground waters, recreational niches, historic locales, farmlands, and residential areas, this region is the largest remnant of a forest thought to have once encompassed over a quarter million acres. The Central Pine Barrens overlies a portion of Long Island's federally designated sole source drinking water aquifer.

(Left photo - A spring 2006 prescribed burn by the New York State Forest Rangers and other cooperators at the David A. Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve in Eastport, part of a federally funded "Forest Fuel Reduction Demonstration Project". See the UMass Amherst web page on this project for details. Photo courtesy of Mindy Block. Click to enlarge. Right photo: Pitch Pine, the eponymous tree of the "pine barrens". See the Virginia Tech Forest Biology web page on "Pinus rigida" to learn more.)

For an introduction to this and similar areas in the northeastern United States, see:

What and Where are the Central Pine Barrens of New York? A three page fact sheet in text or pdf format.
Long Island, New York Central Pine Barrens: locator map and text, pdf map without text
Northeastern United States pine barrens: locator map and comparison chart, pdf map without chart
Central Pine Barrens map with Core, Compatible Growth Area, and major roads: pdf map (best when printed at 11" x 17")
Core Preservation Area estimated land use chart through 1/1/04: text, pdf

The Pine Barrens Act, the Plan, the Commission, and Land Use

In 1993, New York State's Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act defined this region at the junction of the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton. The 1993 Act created a five member Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission, an Advisory Committee, and mandated the production and implementation of the Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Land Use Plan, adopted in June 1995. (Photo: A graduate forestry class from Yale University inspects the Long Island pine barrens first hand. See the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies web site here. Photo by Ray Corwin. Click to enlarge):

The Pine Barrens Legislation, the Commission, and the Advisory Committee:

The legislation - NY Environmental Conservation Law Article 57: An unofficial copy
Pine Barrens Commission: members, meeting schedule & agenda and minutes
Pine Barrens Advisory Committee: members, meeting schedule & agenda and minutes
Central Pine Barrens organizational chart showing Councils, Committees, etc.: text, pdf
General overview of the legislation, the Pine Barrens, and the Commission: pdf (11 pages).
Major events and milestones in the Central Pine Barrens: pdf (3 pages).
Summary of changes to the Act and the Plan from 1993 to the present: pdf (1 page)

The Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Plan and related documents:

Volume 1: Policies, Programs and Standards: An online copy by chapters
Volume 2: Existing Conditions: An online copy by chapters
1995 SEQRA Findings Statement for Plan (pdf file; 18 pages)
August 2004 Plan Volume 1 Amendment (hearing held 9/15/04; approved 10/20/04): pdf
Summary of changes to the Act and the Plan from 1993 to the present: pdf (1 page)
2005-06 Plan Update: Introduction (18 pages), Details (47 pages), Current Schedule (1 page) (pdf)
Central Pine Barrens Fire Management Plan: An online copy by chapters
Other Commission documents - see "Documents" section of Site Map and Index

Land Use, Development, and Pine Barrens Credits (transferable development rights):

Core Preservation Area estimated land use chart through 1/1/04 (pdf)
Development Projects Main Page (updated 8/17/06)
Pine Barrens Credit Program Main Page (updated 8/4/06) (Also see section below.)

Is a parcel of land within the Central Pine Barrens? If so, which area - the Core? the CGA?

See the "Development Projects Main Page" section on this question for assistance.

Land Acquisition Programs:

See "Contacts for Potential Sellers of Core Preservation Area Property" for the phone numbers of land acquisition agencies and organizations: text, pdf

Stewardship Activities: Law Enforcement, Land Management, and Fire Management

The Plan and the Commission have created three specialized, topical Councils to address operational and stewardship needs for this multijurisdictional region, and citizen involvement is strongly encouraged. (Left: The Eastern Tent Caterpillar, a late spring defoliator, emerges in the Rocky Point area. See the US Forest Service Northeastern Area page on this species. Photo by Judy Jakobsen. Click to enlarge. Right: Wildfire Safety video available upon request. Click for details.)

Main Stewardship Page (updated 8/15/06) - This page contains sections on:

Law Enforcement and the Law Enforcement Council
Protected Lands Management and the Protected Lands Council, and
Wildfire and the Wildfire Task Force.

Recreation in the Pine Barrens

With over 30,000 acres of protected public lands in the Central Pine Barrens, there are many opportunities for exploring and enjoying Long Island's largest natural area. Activities available include walking and hiking, camping, horseback riding, canoeing and boating, bicycling (both road touring and mountain biking), hunting, fishing, and other pursuits. For an introduction, see our booklet entitled Exploring the Long Island Pine Barrens: Information for Outdoor Recreation (updated 2/3/05) (or the pdf version). (Photo: Cover of one of five Pine Barrens Field Guides compiled by the fourth grade class of Ms. Debbie Lohman at the Miller Avenue Elementary School in the Shoreham Wading River School District. The students presented their pine barrens class results to the Commission at its April meeting. The guides cover drinking water, plants, animals, insects, soil, the water cycle, fire and pollution. Click to enlarge this cover. Click here to view or download a copy. Contact the Commission office for the full guide.)

The Pine Barrens Credit (Transfer of Development Rights) Program

The 1995 Plan initiated a "transfer of development rights", or "Pine Barrens Credit" (PBC) Program. The Program is more fully described in the Central Pine Barrens Plan (Chapter 6), and the Pine Barrens Credit Program Handbook, a question and answer book for landowners and other interested parties. The Plan is available online (see links above) as is the Handbook. Printed copies can be requested from the office. For up to date PBC Program information see the Pine Barrens Credit Program Main Page (updated 8/4/06). See a nine page overview of the PBC Program in this pdf file.

Scientific Research and the Pine Barrens

Ecologists, geologists, hydrogeologists, historians, botanists, planners, and other specialists have looked at the barrens of the U.S. in many scientific studies. There are a number of organized "pine barrens research" efforts underway and flourishing. (Photo: Turtles in the barrens are one of many topics covered by the annual Pine Barrens Research Forum speakers. They are also one of several species discussed in the "Reptiles" web page of Brookhaven Laboratory. Photo by Ray Corwin. Click to enlarge.) See Scientific Research and the Pine Barrens - Main Page (updated 7/18/06).

Improving Stewardship In Concert With our International "Twin" - Pisa, Italy Regional Parks

Several protected and reserved areas across New York State have been "twinned" with comparable regions in Italy, with the goal of sharing knowledge and experience among citizens of both regions. The Central Pine Barrens Commission and Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli (MSRM) Regional Park in Tuscany, Italy are "twin parks" under this program. (Photo: Sunset along the coast within MSM Regional Park. Photo by Ray Corwin. Click to enlarge.) See a short summary of this work in this pdf file. At the 2004 Pine Barrens Research Forum on 10/8/04, a formal Memorandum of Agreement between our two parks was signed - see the English or Italian versions in pdf format. The twinnings was also part of the 2005 Park Festival in Pisa, described in the Festa del Parco agenda (pdf, Italian and English).

Migliarino - San Rossore - Massaciuccoli Regional Park (Pisa, Italy) (official web site in Italian)
Parks in Italy, the web site about Natural Parks and protected areas in Italy (Italian and English versions; maintained by the Federazione Italiana Parchi e Riserve Naturali)
Parks in Italy site for Parco di Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli

Publications, Maps and Additional Information:

Pine Barrens Reference Library Category Inventory (updated April 2004). (pdf version) No, not a virtual library - a real one, housed in our Great River office! To see what information you can expect to find if you visit, first browse our on line inventory of subjects.

One page introduction to this web site: text, pdf

Site Map, Index and Glossary (internal links)

List of Pine Barrens (external) Links: links to other Pine Barrens related sites (government, not for profit, educational, etc.)

General inquiries about the Commission or the pine barrens? E-mail us at our general info mailbox, or call us at the number below.

Pine Barrens Credit Program information and questions? E-mail the Pine Barrens Credit Clearinghouse staff

Comments about this web site, its information content, related links, etc.? Send e-mail to our webmaster

About our logo

(Photo: A ground level view of the landscape in Warbler Woods County Park, showing haircap moss along a road. The genus Polytrichum includes several haircap mosses; see the "Natural Perspective" web site's page on this genus. For an introduction to the broader world of mosses and liverworts (the phylum Bryophyta) see both Dr. John Kimball's (Harvard University) "Mosses and Liverworts" and the Leatherwood Trail web site's "World of Mosses". Photo by Ray Corwin. Click to enlarge.)

Contacting the Commission:

Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission
Peter A. Scully, Commission Chair
Philip J. Cardinale, Brian X. Foley, Patrick A. Heaney, Steve A. Levy, Members
P.O. Box 587; 3525 Sunrise Highway, 2^nd Floor
Great River, NY 11739-0587
(Click here for directions to our office.)
Voice: 631-224-2604 Fax: 631-224-7653
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Inquiries about the Commission or the pine barrens: info
Pine Barrens Credit Program inquiries: clearinghouse
Web site comments: webmaster

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