Brendan T. Byrne State Forest

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Important Bird and Birding Areas

IBBA Site Guide

Burlington and Ocean Counties

Coordinates: N 39.8964
W 74.5005

Pinelands: New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast

Area: 60,707 Acres

Habitat: Primarily coniferous and mixed upland forest with areas of shrub-scrub habitat

Site Description: This site includes New Jersey’s second largest state forest Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, and a number of private inholdings and land trust properties. The forest includes the 735 acre Cedar Swamp Natural Area, upland pine-oak and oak-pine forests, pitch-pine (Pinus rigida) lowland forest and scrub-shrub habitat. This IBA also intersects the Mt. Misery Natural Heritage Priority Sites. Designated by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Heritage Priority Sites are considered the state’s most significant natural areas.

IBA Criteria:

Criterion	Species
Conservation Concern – State-threatened (B)	Red-headed Woodpecker
Regional Responsibility Species - BCR 30 Scrub-shrub/Barrens (B)	Eastern Towhee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Whip-poor-will


Red-headed Woodpecker	Michael Hogan

Birds: As many as 20 Red-headed Woodpeckers have been observed during the breeding season within areas of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and the adjacent habitats. Impressive numbers of scrub-shrub responsibility species for BCR 30 include approximately 10,000 Pine Warblers, 1000 Prairie Warblers, 5000 Eastern Towhees, 1000 Whip-poor-wills and 500 Eastern Wood-Pewees.

Conservation: The majority of this site is protected from development; however, development, roads and traffic have become major threats to wildlife. Heavily traveled highways (such as Routes 70 and 72) introduce pollutants into adjacent habitats, facilitate dispersal of invasive species, fragment contiguous habitats and create wildlife/vehicle collisions. Protection of privately-owned lands can be achieved by promoting landowner incentives for protecting and managing habitat and by prioritizing parcels for acquisition. Appropriate methods of controlling invasive species, including southern pine beetles and gypsy moths, also need to be implemented. Forests should be managed as large, contiguous patches while maintaining a diversity of Pinelands community types including early successional habitats. Illegal off-road vehicle use is a major threat requiring control through increased law enforcement.

Additional Information: Site Report


Pine Savannah	Bob Williams