The Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens is one of only three remaining coastal pine barrens ecosystems in the world. While the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the Long Island Pine Barrens may be better known, Southeastern Massachusetts ranks second in the amount of undeveloped open space, surpassing Long Island.
European settlers coined the term "barrens" to describe the landscape, deeming pitch pine trees unsuitable for timber and finding that their traditional European crops struggled to grow in the region’s sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soil. However, these very conditions fostered the evolution of uniquely adapted plants and animals, which Indigenous peoples around Cape Cod Bay relied upon to support thriving communities for thousands of years.
As we like to say, "The Pine Barrens are anything but barren." This ecoregion provides habitat for over 200 state and federally listed species, including the northern red-bellied cooter—found only in Plymouth County ponds—and the barrens buck moth.
Stretching from Duxbury in the north down Cape Cod to Provincetown, the Pine Barrens Ecoregion also includes the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. These distinctive sandy soils extend through Plymouth, Carver, and Wareham, reaching as far as Marion and Mattapoisett. Unfortunately, much of this ecoregion has been lost due to development and fire suppression. However, through land conservation and management—such as prescribed burns—we can sustain biodiversity and restore the natural balance of the 40 or more natural communities that Native Americans have long regarded as plant families.
Want to know more about natural communities? View or download A Guide to the Natural Communities of Massachusetts 2021 Edition.