About the Altona Flat Rock

The Altona Flat Rock is an approximately 2000 hectare globally rare sandstone jack pine (Pinus banksiana) barrens located in Altona, NY. The Flat Rock consists of very shallow soil, with sandstone directly underneath. The Flat Rock was given an S1G2 rating by the New York Natural Heritage Program, meaning there are presently only 5 pine barrens in New York State, and 20 globally. Since the dominant vegetation is jack pine, the Flat Rock is a fire-dependent ecosystem. In 2018, a wildfire burned 225 hectares of approximately 60-year-old forest. Now, it is regenerating and consists of standing and fallen dead jack pine. Surrounding the sandstone pine barrens is an area of mixed hardwood forest. Historically, the Flat Rock has burned in 1957, 1940, and 1919, giving us a chronosequence to facilitate correlation of the stages of regeneration to the occurrence of wildlife and birds across the heterogeneous Flat Rock, as well as quantifying forest structure and stand age.