Barnegat Bay Environment
The Watershed
Maritime Forest
Maritime Forest
Definition: an ocean coastal wooded habitat found on higher ground than dune areas within range of salt spray.
As trees grow higher than protective dunes and shrubs they adapt to the damaging salt-laden winds that blow in from the shoreline.
Trees located near the shore form a gradual sloping shape in response to upward-angled winds.
The trees may be dwarfed and wind-sheared, an effect of salt pruning.
Salt spray kills plants’ terminal buds that extend beyond the protective canopy of the forest, resulting in thicker lateral growth below called the shrubbing effect.
The end result is a protected, interior forest where little light reaches the forest floor.
Maritime forests are located at the edges of salt marshes and are prone to high winds, sandy soils, and salt spray from the estuary.
They contain all types of plant life including deciduous, coniferous, and broadleaf evergreens, depending on where they are located along the coastline.
The image to the right is a view from the ocean beach with a maritime forest in the background.
Island Beach State Park
Reed Road
Path from parking lot to Barnegat Bay through the maritime forest.
