Species structure and soil characteristics of five urban forest sites along the New Jersey Palisades

Forested residual open spaces are a unique resource that contribute to the diversity of urban ecosystems. Five forested sites located along the Palisades escarpment in New Jersey were selected for a study of tree species distribution, abundance and diversity. Significant correlations existed between these parameters and a number of selected environmental characteristics, including site size and distance from nearest roadway, soil lead and sodium concentrations and surrounding population density. A number of planning and management strategies and considerations for these sites are discussed.