Audubon Society Restoring Hovnanian Sanctuary

The New Jersey Audubon Society has begun thinning the pines and overgrowth at the 513-acre Hovnanian Sanctuary off Davenport Road as part of a larger project that will reduce fire hazards and create a rare Atlantic white cedar swamp.  

The society acquired the sanctuary from K. Hovnanian Homes, which built a number of age-restricted developments in the surrounding area. The land was not managed previously, in part due to a hands-off policy that prevented any burning on the site, said Donald Donnelly, the Audubon Society's Stewardship Project Director of Forestry.

The vegetation has become very thick, growing right up to nearby senior communities like Holiday Heights, Donnelly said.

“One of the main goals is to establish a fuel-break in case a fire comes close to the development,” he said.

The Audubon Society has three goals for the project: to establish a protective zone from wildfires for the surrounding communities, to restore habitats for plant species threatened by forest overgrowth and the excessive shade such overgrowth creates, and to establish an Atlantic white cedar swamp.

Donnelly estimated that 65 acres have been thinned so far since the project began in late June. This early phase involves mechanically removing portions of forest overgrowth that would cause any fire in the habitat to burn out of control.

A fuel-break is a swath of land where there is little material a fire can feed on.

Removing excess vegetation coincides with one of the Society's goals for the project - aiding threatened and endangered species, he said.

“By using a burn schedule, we hope to maintain a habitat for these species and create fire-break, ” said Donnelly.

So far, the removal process has been in the area of Davenport Road. The Audubon Society hopes to treat roughly 300 acres of the property.

“This will increase the diversity of wildlife species in the habitat,” Donnelly said.

The burning will be done in small portions after the mechanical clearing is completed, to create multiple fire-breaks. There's a possibility the first burn could take place later this year, but it's more likely it will happen sometime in 2012, he said.

A section warden - a person  experienced in controlled burns - will develop a plan with certain conditions of when it is suitable to burn. For example, wind direction would be a major factor, so that no smoke is near the property line of the residential area, Donnelly said.

The first burning will occur at the residential property line. Future efforts will extend back into the forest, he said.

Atlantic white cedar swamps support many rare plant and animal species, including the Pine Barrens tree frog, the endangered Hessel hairstreak butterfly, the red-shouldered hawk and the barred owl.

The swamps were once abundant in the Pinelands, but have since declined by 75 percent in the past 300 years due to logging, agriculture and coastal development.

Donnelly said the restoration is possible due to the site's soil conditions. The land had previously been used as a blueberry farm.

“Blueberries have similar qualities as white cedar, so with similar soil conditions we hope to plant white cedar trees and restore habitat on site,” said Donnelly. “There will be no change to the soil composition or hydrology. We are just changing the vegetation.”

He said a six-foot fence will then be erected to protect the white cedar saplings from deer.

“It is great to acquire these properties, but by not doing anything with them we could do more harm than good,” said Donnelly, “We hope to demonstrate how maintenance can meet the public goals of the property.”