…Recently, scientists also have learned to use fire to conserve the many Pine Barrens species that depend on fire to create the habitat they need to thrive, such as the northern bobwhite quail. Other Pine Barrens scientists have gathered important data on the spread of embers in both wild and planned fires. …The Pine Barrens comprise a mix of natural habitats that clash with New Jersey’s urban image, though it covers roughly 22 percent of state’s land area. These include dense forests of pine and oak, large tracts of dwarfed or pygmy pitch pines that stand no taller than 13 feet (though many are shorter in stature than the average adult), Atlantic white cedar swamps, and savannah woodlands. The pitch pines are especially important to the ecosystem, as they and other native plants like the broom crowberry—a low-growing shrub with red flowers—are pyrogenic, meaning they rely on periodic fire to thrive.