Greenwood Forest and Pasadena Wildlife Management Area

In our continuing series on Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife Viewing Areas in NJ, today we look at The Greenwood Forest/Pasadena Wildlife Management Area.

This WMA is in Burlington and Ocean Counties in Lacey, Barnegat, Manchester, Berkeley & Woodland Townships. At 95,923 acres it is the largest tract of land preserved by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Bureau of Land Management.

Together with Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, this area constitutes most of the Western Pinelands, the smallest of four conservation zones identified in the Pinelands by NJ Wildlife Action Plan.

This habitat is made up of mixed pine and riparian forests with patches of fields and shrub-scrub. Most of the area is upland pine-oak and scrub-shrub forests with the remaining area being upland habitats including fields.

The lowlands contain pitch-pine forest and Atlantic white cedar bogs.

The headwaters of Cedar Creek are also found here and it connects Greenwood Forest / Pasadena WMA to Lebanon State Forest.

This forest habitat supports breeding species including an estimated 100 Eastern Towhees, 100 Pine Warblers and 60 Prairie Warblers. Barred Owls, favoring swamps and deep forests, particularly those bordering lakes, streams or marshes, are permanent residents in this IBA. Sporadic populations of Red-headed Woodpeckers also inhabit the site’s low-density forest stands.

Some species found here include: the state-threatened Barred Owl, Blue-winged Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Field Sparrow, Northern Bobwhite, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Whip-poor-will, Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue Jay, Common Grackle, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Gray Catbird, Tufted Titmouse, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. See http://www.njaudubon.org for more information.

Northern Pine Snake - NJDEP photo

Currently, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program is working with the Division's Bureau of Land Management to enhance pine snake habitat in a portion of Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area.

The primary threats to this site include over-abundant deer and loss of natural ecological forces such as fire and disturbance.

Approximately 1000 acres of the Greenwood Forest/Pasadena WMA are managed as quail habitat and offers hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities.

There are also several hiking and wildlife-watching opportunities throughout the site.

More information: (PDF documents)

• Information on Greenwood Forest/Pasadena North, Central, South
• WMA map