Exploring today

[MarkBNJ]

Thanks to all the great information on this site my friends and I were able to have a great outing today. We started about 1:00 PM at Atsion and finished up at 7:00 PM near Harrisville. In between we covered 25 miles and visited the sites of Mount, Jemima, Washington, Harrisville, Martha Furnace, and the pumping station. Callico was the only spot on our itinerary that we weren't able to locate. The trail heading that way from Martha was narrow, and it was getting late so we decided to turn back.

Absolutely glorious weather after the front came through last night and this morning. Rained all the way down the turnpike but by the time I picked up the others and reached Atsion it was sunny, cool, breezy, and with little humidity.

Noticed a couple of things. First was a well-like stone lined depression on the southwest corner of the clearing at Mount, across the road from the depressions that might be cellar pits. Not sure it was actually a well, since it seemed to open out underground on one side (but is very choked with debris). Will post pics when my friend sends them to me. Anyone else seen this pit and have a notion as to what it is?

Second was the massive damage by the gypsy moth larvae around Jemima. Looks like they sprayed recently, as there were a _lot_ of dead ones around. Literally, there were _no_ deciduous leaves above ground. It looks like April up there.

Third was in the area of Martha Furnace. We noticed a lot of interesting chunks of colored glasseous slag scattered about the road. Got me wondering what actually went on at Martha Furnace. Did they do work for the Harrisville works down the road?

Anyway, had a really great day. Saw four other vehicles during the entire trip.

 

[james ungehajer]

Great report Mark. Looks you had a great day.

How were the roads around Mt Jemina ?

 

[MarkBNJ]

Hi, James. The roads around Mt. Jemima were fine and easily passable in the Toyota we were driving (FJ Cruiser). There was standing water in various places from the night before, but it was shallow. There are also the big permanent mudholes, which look quite deep, but there were passable go-arounds for all these. We had no problems getting up there. It's quite a sight to see that big hump sticking up in the woods. Can't help wondering like others how it came to be there. Friend of mine was examining the small stones scattered all over there and pondering whether the formation was glacial, but personally I think the stone was simply carted in for road repair.

 

[Teegate]

Third was in the area of Martha Furnace. We noticed a lot of interesting chunks of colored glasseous slag scattered about the road. Got me wondering what actually went on at Martha Furnace. Did they do work for the Harrisville works down the road?

.

You missed out on walking the slag heaps. The next time you go, walk around the far side of the fence on the other side of the little stream. Then you will also get to see Martha pond if you want to call it that.

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

bsolutely glorious weather after the front came through last night and this morning. Rained all the way down the turnpike but by the time I picked up the others and reached Atsion it was sunny, cool, breezy, and with little humidity.

And so with that outlook I started staining my two decks tonite. No sooner had I finished, it thunderstormed and rained good and hard for five minutes. I am really bummed out.

 

[Teegate]

No here. Dry and sunny

Sorry to hear that Bob.

Guy

 

[MarkBNJ]

You missed out on walking the slag heaps. The next time you go, walk around the far side of the fence on the other side of the little stream. Then you will also get to see Martha pond if you want to call it that.

Guy

Did they make glass there, Guy? Or is that slag a remnant of a metal smelting process?

Sorry to hear about the storms, Bob. Just had another front roll through up here (I live in north jersey) and it was a good one.

 

[Teegate]

It was metal.


Guy

 

[james ungehajer]

And so with that outlook I started staining my two decks tonite. No sooner had I finished, it thunderstormed and rained good and hard for five minutes. I am really bummed out.

Bob, we all love nature, and nature does have it's ways, this always happens to me right after i finish washing my car. I blame the weatherman.

Cheer up, have some

I always say, tomorrow will be a better day.

 

[bobpbx]

Speaking of gyspy moths, I was out on pasadena road last week and got out of the truck. You could hear the rain from their excretement coming down. They were even eating the lowly scrub oak.

I was at the bend in the road where that field is. I love that little spot. Its so quiet and peaceful.

 

[MarkBNJ]

I've seen gypsy moths on our property for years, but I've never seen devastation like I saw up around Jemima yesterday. I mean it was bare. Not a deciduous leaf above ground for acres. Where there were small seedlings poking up with a leaf or two they were all chewed to hell. I guess the little devils prefer higher dining.

 

[woodjin]

The BTK they have been spraying is starting to work, they are getting slow and dying off. That BTK is very difficult to get off car finishes and deck furniture though. Also the planes at 5:30am 10 feet above my roof are a bit of an annoyance.

Jeff

 

[Boyd]

I see a few nibbled trees on my land, but not too many. The other day I was driving up Rt 206 out of Hammonton and for maybe a mile or so north of Rt 30 the forest looked like winter with bare trees. But I think even the pines were dead, didn't pay very close attention. Has anyone else noticed this? It's a very striking contrast to the rest of the area.

 

[LongIslandPiney]

So far on LI it hasn't been as bad, but in Flanders along route 24 the oaks are 80% defoliated, looks like April. They generally don't eat the pines, at least not here.
The gypsy moths seem less widespread, but where they are the damage is severe.

 

[woodjin]

I see a few nibbled trees on my land, but not too many. The other day I was driving up Rt 206 out of Hammonton and for maybe a mile or so north of Rt 30 the forest looked like winter with bare trees. But I think even the pines were dead, didn't pay very close attention. Has anyone else noticed this? It's a very striking contrast to the rest of the area.

There a number of areas like you described. They (gypsy moths) have moved onto the pines and in some areas the pines are naked. The lebanon ranger station area comes to mind.

jeff

 

[james ungehajer]

My friend who lives in Tabernacle Twp. has told me the area around New road and Powell Place road is getting hit real bad, which is in Southampton Twp.

 

[woodjin]

We had no problems getting up there. It's quite a sight to see that big hump sticking up in the woods. Can't help wondering like others how it came to be there. Friend of mine was examining the small stones scattered all over there and pondering whether the formation was glacial, but personally I think the stone was simply carted in for road repair.

Most of these formations were glacial and the small stones you saw (provided it wasn't blue stone) was Beacon hill gravel...deposits are found in the uplands and are especially common at higher elevations.

Jeff

 

[MarkBNJ]

Most of these formations were glacial and the small stones you saw (provided it wasn't blue stone) was Beacon hill gravel...deposits are found in the uplands and are especially common at higher elevations.

Jeff

Thanks, my friend will be happy to know he was right . If I tell him.

 

[Boyd]

the small stones you saw (provided it wasn't blue stone) was Beacon hill gravel...deposits are found in the uplands and are especially common at higher elevations.

Interesting that you mention Beacon Hill since I've been reading "The Vegetation of the New Jersey Pine Barrens" by John Harshberger and he talks a lot about the Beacon Hill formation. You can read the first few pages of his book here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0486261999/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-8068370-5302554#reader-link

Thus, if we contrast the area occupied by the Beacon Hill formation and the area in central New Jersey covered by the pine-barrens, we find an unusual coincidence. This coincidence of the two areas is made clear when we remember that the Beacon Hill formation was an island during the Pensauken submergence and that it was covred with vegetation of the pine-barren type.

He provides a map on page 3 (see link above). Now the interesting thing is that this was written in 1918 and has subsequently fallen out of favor. I have a research report from 1970 by Jack McCormick entitled "The Pine Barrens: A Preliminary Ecological Inventory" which says:

This theory gained no other support and its author did not mention it in his last publication. A few years later, Lutz (1934a) reviewed geological literature that indicated that the basic hypothesis of a Pensauken Island had been refuted

So what is the current thinking on this topic?

 

[bobpbx]

So what is the current thinking on this topic?

Our pine barren geology is very complex. The glacial period is just a small piece of the puzzle. Mark Demitroff, Department of Geography, University of Delaware, has studied the area intensely. I'll ask him to post a little more about it. I could throw a few things out for an answer, but chances are I'd get some key aspects wrong.

My two favorite topics on the pines are the plant life and the geology. Its a pity that life is too short to cover all of it the way I want to.