Atlantic County, New Jersey: Land Use Changes

Between 1995 and 2012

Diane Milleson
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
February 15th, 2015

Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Results........................................................................................................................................................... 5
State of New Jersey Land Use Changes from 2002 to 2007 ..................................................................... 5
Atlantic County, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2007 ........................................................ 9
Brigantine, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2012 .............................................................. 12
Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 12
State of New Jersey Land Use Changes from 2002 to 2007 ................................................................... 12
Atlantic County, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2007 ...................................................... 14
Brigantine, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2012 ............................................................... 14
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 14
References .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 16

I.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the land use changes between the years of
1995 and 2012. This was done using a variety of methods using ArcGIS, Excel, and digital
orthoquads. The areas of study were the state of New Jersey, Atlantic County, and Brigantine,
NJ. The maps that were analyzed for the state of New Jersey were the changes in agricultural
lands, forested lands, urban lands, and wetlands between 2002 and 2007. For Atlantic County,
maps were constructed using watershed data to determine the loss or gain of forested and urban
lands between 1995 and 2007. Finally, digital orthoquads were used to determine land use
changes in Brigantine, NJ between 1995 and 2012. Overall, there was a trend in the state and the
county that showed forested lands, agricultural lands, and wetlands decreasing. However, over
this time period urban lands grew by a large margin. In Brigantine, development has already
exceeded its capacity on the small island, so there were no land use changes visible between
these years.
II.

Introduction

New Jersey is not only the most densely populated state, but is also in the middle of two
of the largest metropolitan areas, New York City and Philadelphia. For these reasons, New
Jersey has experienced rapid growth in the amount of development in a short amount of time.
This growth formally took place in city centers, such as Trenton and Newark. Currently,
however, city residents are leaving cities and moving out to the suburbs (Macdonald et al.,
2005). This causes the concept of urban sprawl, which encroaches on previously undeveloped
areas and paves the way for new shopping malls, superstores, and housing developments.
In the Southern half of New Jersey, a large area known as the Pinelands Reserve is
located in portions of seven of the twenty-one counties of New Jersey. The Pinelands are around
1.1 million acres in size, and are a unique ecosystem that is controlled by fire in order to control
competition between oak trees and pine trees (Walker et al., 1999). Many unique species of
plants and animals live in these forests, many of which are only found in the Pinelands and are
endangered or threatened. While this area is protected by law, regional development has been
allowed to occur in some areas of the Pinelands (Sohl et al., 2012). This has led to several towns
become highly urbanized in the area, which can lead to pollution and degradation.
New Jersey is also known as the Garden State. In the Southwestern portion of the state,
many farms are located which grow a variety of crops. The crops that are grown in these areas
are essential for feeding the growing populations in the area, and are exported to many states
around the country (Sohl et al., 2012). Unfortunately, urban sprawl negatively effects these farms
as well. Not only does development lessen the available water for these crops, but it can also take
over farmland for the right price.
Tracking modifications in land use is important for a number of reasons. As New Jersey
is a finite size, and a rather small state comparatively, growth must be controlled and efficient.
3

Even though the state is known as the most densely populated state in the United States, there are
still many pristine, undeveloped areas that need to be protected in the future (Bengston, 2004).
Monitoring the trends in land use changes is essential for smart growth and the protection of
natural resources such as groundwater and the Pinelands.

III.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to examine land use changes in New Jersey between 1995
and 2012. In order to do this, ArcGIS was used to create maps of the state of New Jersey and its
twenty-one counties. To study the land use changes throughout the entire state, the tables from
the NJ DEP were used, which were found on the New Jersey governments website
(www.nj.gov/dep). These tables were called NJDEP Land Use/Land Cover Level I Data
Analysis, 2002-2007. They show the changes in land use between 2002 and 2007 using six
differing land types. These are agriculture, barren land, forest, urban land, water, and wetlands.
The last column was the net amount, and shows whether there was a gain or loss of that land
type. By adding this data to excel, all of the counties data points were added to one table, which
then was then displayed on ArcGIS using a scale to display the changes compared to other
counties.
The next objective was to determine the changes in land use within Atlantic County
between 1995 and 2007. Using watershed data found on the New Jersey governments website
(http://www.nj.gov/dep/gis/watershedwide.html), the data for the three watersheds that
encompass Atlantic County were found. These watersheds were Mullica (WMA 14), Great Egg
Harbor (WMA 15), and Maurice, Salem, Cohansey (WMA 17). The shapefiles on this website
were downloaded, extracted, and added to ArcGIS. Using ArcToolbox, the three watersheds
were combined with a map of Atlantic County using the union and intersect tools. After this was
completed, there was a map that had all of the land use types of Atlantic County. Using the
select by attribute tool, each of the different land types could be displayed separately.
The last objective was to determine the land use changes in Brigantine, New Jersey. This
was done using digital orthoquads from the years 1995, 2002, 2007, and 2012. These were found
on https://njgin.state.nj.us/NJ_NJGINExplorer/IW.jsp using my personal address. I downloaded
the quadrant that my house was located in (I1A93), as well as four others that were adjacent
(I1A92, I1A96, I1A97) for each of these years. Doing a side-by-side analysis of each of these
years using each orthoquad, I determined the land use changes between 1995 and 2012.

IV.

Results
1. State of New Jersey Land Use Changes from 2002 to 2007

a. Agricultural Land

Figure 1. Changes in Agricultural Land in NJ from 2002 to 2007

As shown in Figure 1, agricultural Lands have decreased in all twenty-one counties,

except Hudson County and Passaic County. From Table 2 (App. B), it can be seen that Hudson
County had zero acres of agricultural lands lost or gained. Also, Passaic County had a gain of
one acre of agricultural land, which was the only agricultural land that was created between 2002
and 2007 in all of the counties. Several counties experienced small losses in acreage of
agricultural land, such as Union County, which lost fourteen acres of land. Two other counties
that had small losses were Essex County and Bergen County, which lost seventeen and eightytwo acres, respectively.
The county that experienced the highest loss in agricultural lands was Gloucester County.
Table 2 (App. B) shows that Gloucester County lost 6,129 acres of farmland between 2002 and
2007. The next county that lost the most acres of agricultural land was Burlington County, which
lost 2,989 acres. The next three counties that lost agricultural lands were Monmouth, Middlesex,
5

and Hunterdon County. These three counties all lost greater than two-thousand acres of
agricultural land between 2002 and 2007.
b. Forested Land

Figure 2. Changes in Forested Land in NJ from 2002 to 2007

As Figure 2 displays, forested lands decreased in every one of New Jerseys counties
between 2002 and 2007. In Table 2 (App. B), it displays that Union County lost the least amount
of forested lands, which was 234 acres. This is not surprising, since as was said before, this is in
a very urbanized part of the state. The next two counties that lost the least amount of forested
lands were Salem County and Hudson County, which lost 301 and 469 acres, respectively. The
next county that lost the least amount of forested land was Mercer County, which lost 479 acres
of forested lands.
The county that experienced the highest loss of forested lands was Ocean County, which
lost 7,077 acres between 2002 and 2007. This was followed by Atlantic County, which lost 4,276
acres of forested lands, which can be seen in Table 2 (App. B). The next two counties that had
the largest losses of forested lands were Morris County and Monmouth County, which lost 3,434
and 3,215 acres, respectively. The next largest loss was in Burlington County, which lost 3,006
acres of forested lands between 2002 and 2007.
6

c. Urban Land

Figure 3. Changes in Urban Land in NJ from 2002 to 2007

All of the twenty-one counties experienced a growth in urban lands, as is shown in Figure
3. The county that experienced the least amount of growth in urban lands was Union County,
which gained 295 acres between 2002 and 2007, which can be seen in Table 2 (App. B). The
next two counties that had the least amount of increases in urban lands was Hudson County and
Essex County, which had gains of 450 and 836 acres, respectively.
The county that experienced the most growth was Monmouth County, which from Table
2 (App. B), increased urban lands by 8,769 acres between 2002 and 2007. The county that had
the next largest increase in urban lands was Ocean County, which increased by 7,835 acres. The
next largest growth in urban lands was Gloucester County, which gained 7,652 acres of urban
lands during these years.

d. Wetlands Areas

Figure 4. Changes in Wetlands Areas in NJ from 2002 to 2007

Every single one of the twenty-one counties in New Jersey experienced a decrease in
wetlands from 2002 to 2007, which is shown in Figure 4. The county that experienced the
smallest decrease in wetlands was Union County, which lost twenty-nine acres. The next
smallest decrease in wetlands was Cumberland County, which lost seventy-seven acres, which
can be seen in Table 2 (App. B). The next smallest amount of wetlands lost was Passaic County,
which lost eighty-four acres between 2002 and 2007.
The county that had the largest decrease in wetlands between 2002 and 2007 was
Monmouth County, which lost 1,216 acres of wetlands. The next highest amount of wetlands lost
was Burlington County, which had a 1,151 acre decrease during this time. Middlesex County lost
1,105 acres of wetlands from 2002 to 2007, which is shown in Table 2 (App. B).

2. Atlantic County, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2007
a. Forested Lands

Figure 5. Forested Lands in Atlantic County in 1995

Figure 6. Forested Lands in Atlantic County in 2002

Figure 7. Forested Lands in Atlantic County in 2007

Figure 5 displays a map of the forested lands in Atlantic County in 1995. Compared to
Figure 5, Figure 6 signifies the losses of forested land between 1995 and 2002. As shown in
Table 3 (app?), there was 142,508 acres of forested lands in Atlantic County in 2002. This is also
represented by the map in Figure 6. By 2007, there was only 138,232 acres of forest land. This is
represented in Figure 7, which shows a decrease in the area of forested land between these years.
There was a net loss of 4,276 acres of forest lands between 2002 and 2007. This is shown in
Table 3 in Appendix C.
b. Urban Lands

Figure 8. Urban Lands in Atlantic County, NJ

10

Figure 9. Urban Lands in Atlantic County, NJ

Figure 10. Urban Lands in Atlantic County

Figure 8 displays a map of the urban lands in Atlantic County in 1995. When compared
to Figure 8, Figure 9 shows the increases of urban land between 1995 and 2002. As shown in
Table 3 (App. C), there was 60,039 acres of urban lands in Atlantic County in 2002. This is also
represented by the map in Figure 9. By 2007, there was 65,553 acres of urban land. This is
represented in Figure 10, which shows a large increase in the area of urban land between these
years. There was a net gain of 5,514 acres of forest lands between 2002 and 2007. This is shown
in Table 3 in Appendix C.

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3. Brigantine, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2012

Figure 11. Southern portion of Brigantine, NJ where I reside

To determine land use changes in Brigantine, NJ, four adjacent digital orthoquads from
1995, 2002, 2007, and 2012 were used. After analyzing these images side-by-side, I determined
that there has been no changes in land use in Brigantine between the years 1995 and 2012. As
Brigantine is a small barrier island directly north of Atlantic City, this is most likely due to both
its appealing location and small area in which to develop. As of 1995, all areas that were
available for development were already developed. So, in 2012 the land use has remained the
same as seventeen years prior.
V.

Discussion

1.

State of New Jersey Land Use Changes from 2002 to 2007

From 2002 to 2007, the state of New Jersey underwent many land use changes that have
altered the landscape. In Table 1 (App. A), these changes are divided into six different land use
types and the difference between these two years is calculated. Overall, the state of New Jersey
12

experienced trends locally (by town or county) that are evident by the trends that are seen
throughout the state.
In the state of New Jersey, almost every single county experienced a loss in agricultural
lands between 2002 and 2007. Overall, as seen in Table 1 (App. A), the state lost 28,554 acres of
agricultural land during this time. The only counties that did not experience a loss were Hudson
County, which lost zero acres, and Passaic County that gained one acre. This is likely due to
these counties being highly urbanized and developed (Macdonald et al., 2005). Therefore, there
is more than likely little or no agricultural land in these areas. The counties that experienced the
highest amount of lost agricultural land is Burlington and Monmouth Counties, which lost 2989
acres and 2909 acres, respectively. These are large counties that have experienced a growth in
population in the recent years, which quite possibly is the cause of these losses. Since New
Jersey is known as the Garden State, this rapid loss of agricultural lands must be restricted
(Lathrop et al., 2007).
There was also a large decrease in the amounts of forested lands between 2002 and 2007
in the state. This is particularly important, because the Pinelands Reserve is located in a large
portion of the southern half of the state. The Pinelands is a unique ecosystem that is home to
many endangered and threatened species of plants and animals that can only be found in this
region (Walker, 1999). Underneath the Pinelands, there is also an aquifer called the KirkwoodCohansey Aquifer, which covers nearly three thousand square miles. In order to protect these
areas, development must discontinue encroaching on this fragile habitat (Sohl, 2012). From
Table 2, it is evident that some of the counties in which the Pinelands are located also
experienced the largest decreases in forests between 2002 and 2007. Burlington County lost
3,006 acres, while Ocean County lost 7,077 acres. This trend must be put to an end in order to
keep the Pinelands area preserved.
Another trend that is a cause for concern is the amount of wetlands that were lost between
2002 and 2007, which was 8,760 acres throughout the entire state. Wetlands are a very important
feature of coastal states, and provide a unique and essential habitat for many marine species and
birds (Tang et al., 2005). These areas are essential in preventing flooding, stabilizing the
shoreline, and purifying water. With the added consequences of global warming, the coastlines
will be even more vulnerable due to sea level rise. In the early years of development in New
Jersey, many acres of wetlands were destroyed and filled in. Now that there is scientific evidence
of the significance of these unique areas, it is essential that these areas are protected in the future.
Urban lands experienced the largest growth of all six land types during the years 2002
and 2007. Overall, the state gained 80,287 acres of urban land during this time. This growth was
largest in areas that are undergoing sprawl and development currently. Counties that were
already urbanized, such as Union County and Hudson County, did not experience as much
growth as suburban counties. This is quite possibly due to the urban sprawl that has taken place

13

in New Jersey, which has left city centers to fail (Hasse, 2003). Monmouth County underwent
the largest growth in urban lands, which grew by 8,769 acres in these five years.
2. Atlantic County, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1986 to 2003
Atlantic County underwent notable trends in land use changes between 1995 and 2007.
The two areas studied were forested lands and urban lands that have been lost or gained since
1995. Overall, Atlantic County lost 4,276 acres of forests during this time period. This is
particularly important because a portion of the Pinelands are located in this county. Also, urban
lands were increased by 5,514 acres from 1995. This is also key because this leads the Pinelands
ecosystem to a greater risk of development, degradation, and pollution (Conway, 2009). In other
counties that contain portions of the Pinelands Reserve, the same trends of deforestation and
urbanization can be seen (Rudel, 2011).
3. Brigantine, New Jersey Land Use Changes from 1995 to 2012
Brigantine, which is a small barrier island north of Atlantic City, did not experience any
land use changes between 1995 and 2012. I believe that this is caused by several factors such as
land area, location, and the economy. First, the size of Brigantine has played the most important
role in the halt of development between these years. Its location minutes away from Atlantic City
has made it a popular destination for tourists and vacationers alike. It is known as a small beach
town, and in the summer is when it is at its busiest. For these reasons, development begun very
early in Brigantine, as it did in Atlantic City as well. Since this town is located on a barrier
island, there is no possibility of expanding outward. For this reason, once everything was built,
which was before 1995, development could no longer continue. There has also been a decrease
in the local economy, and Atlantic City is not booming as it once was, so any reconstruction or
redevelopment has not occurred.

VI. Conclusion
Based on the finding of this study, it can be determined that New Jersey has evident
trends in land use changes. Keeping these trends in mind, as well as the ecology of New Jersey,
smart development should be used in the upcoming years. Since New Jersey is undergoing large
migrations of city residents to the suburbs, protected areas such as the Pinelands are being
compromised. Many towns do not have development plans, which accelerates sprawl into
previously undeveloped areas. In order to combat destructive urbanization, the state must take
into consideration the carrying capacity that each area has for human development. Instead of
expanding outward from cities, cities should be areas of redevelopment and growth. In order to
protect our states precious natural resources, plans must be developed in the near future that deal
with these issues.

14

References
Bengston, D. (2004). Public policies for managing urban growth and protecting open space:
Policy instruments and lessons learned in the United States. Landscape and Urban
Planning, 271-286.
Carruthers, J., Hepp, S., Knaap, G., & Renner, R. (2012). The American way of land use: A
spatial hazard analysis of changes through time. International Regional Science Review,
267-302.
Conway, T. (2009). The impact of class resolution in land use change models. Computers,
Environment and Urban Systems, 269-277.
Conway, T., & Lathrop, R. (2005). Alternative land use regulations and environmental impacts:
Assessing future land use in an urbanizing watershed. Landscape and Urban Planning, 115.
Fallah, B., Partridge, M., & Olfert, M. (2011). Urban sprawl and productivity: Evidence from US
metropolitan areas. Papers in Regional Science, 451-472.
Hasse, J., & Lathrop, R. (2003). Land resource impact indicators of urban sprawl. Applied
Geography, 159-175.
Lathrop, R., Tulloch, D., & Hatfield, C. (2007). Consequences of land use change in the New
YorkNew Jersey Highlands, USA: Landscape indicators of forest and watershed
integrity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 150-159.
Macdonald, K., & Rudel, T. (2005). Sprawl and forest cover: What is the relationship? Applied
Geography, 67-79.
Rudel, T., ONeill, K., Gottlieb, P., Mcdermott, M., & Hatfield, C. (2011). From middle to
upper class sprawl? Land use controls and changing patterns of real estate development
in northern New Jersey. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 609-624.
Sohl, T., & Sohl, L. (2012). Land-use change in the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion.
Geographical Review, 180-201.
Tang, Z., Engel, B., Pijanowski, B., & Lim, K. (2005). Forecasting land use change and its
environmental impact at a watershed scale. Journal of Environmental Management,
35-45.
Veldkamp, A., & Verburg, P. (2004). Modelling land use change and environmental impact.
Journal of Environmental Management, 1-3.
Walker, R., & Solecki, W. (1999). Managing land use and land-cover change: The New Jersey
Pinelands biosphere reserve. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 220237.

15

Appendix A

Table 1. Land Use Changes in NJ between 2002 and 2007 (in acres)
Land Use Type 2002
2007
Net Change
Agriculture
594,599
566,045
-28,554
Barren Land
59,138
51,678
-7,460
Forest
1,568,809 1,526,367
-42,442
Urban Land
1,452,077 1,532,364
80,287
Water
803,611
810,541
6,930
Wetlands
1,005,735
996,675
-8,760

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Appendix B

Table 2. Land Use Changes in NJ Counties between 2002 and 2007 (in acres)

COUNTY
Agriculture
ATLANTIC
-583
BERGEN
-82
BURLINGTON
-2989
CAMDEN
-697
CAPE MAY
-652
CUMBERLAND
-1234
ESSEX
-17
GLOUCESTER
-6129
HUDSON
0
HUNTERDON
-2253
MERCER
-2215
MIDDLESEX
-2418
MONMOUTH
-2909
MORRIS
-612
OCEAN
-493
PASSAIC
1
SALEM
-1062
SOMERSET
-1715
SUSSEX
-1308
UNION
-14
WARREN
-1164

Barren
Urban
Land
Forest Land
Water Wetlands
-1147 -4276
5514
1056
-571
419 -1591
1418
53
-214
455 -3006
7066
535
-1151
-1 -2080
2869
156
-249
-411 -1091
1755
579
-135
315 -1873
2626
242
-77
-107
-670
836
67
-110
673 -2109
7652
606
-692
62
-469
450
52
-94
-477 -1835
4799
88
-320
-427
-479
3460
16
-356
-259 -1984
5644
123
-1105
-2224 -3215
8769
797
-1216
-528 -3434
4649
13
-349
-1228 -7077
7835
1511
-549
-152
-792
954
71
-84
-237
-301
1633
489
-522
-788 -1559
4539
91
-569
-211 -2913
4370
452
-390
-33
-234
295
13
-29
-574 -1451
3151
271
-141

17

Appendix C

Table 3. Land Use Changes in Atlantic County, NJ

Land Use Type

2002

2007

Agriculture
Barren Land
Forest
Urban Land
Water
Wetlands

24,043 23,460
4,047
2,900
142,508 138,232
60,039 65,553
38,013 39,078
122,163 121,592

Net Change
-583
-1,147
-4,276
5,514
1,056
-571

18