In order to protect our species from the destruction of their habitat, and to protect ourselves from reductions in air and water quality, we must preserve our wetlands. The soil in this desert-like habitat is extremely low in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, and high in toxic chemicals such as nickel and chromium. One of the most fascinating features of this habitat is that it actually needs fire in order to prosper. Dead leaves, wood, fallen bark, resins, and volatile chemicals promote frequent, relatively cool fires which are harmless to certain plant species, but fatal to their competitors. In fact, any long period of time without a fire may allow for invasion by forest and old field plants that will eventually lead to succession and the destruction of the barrens.
Harsh conditions make the barrens uninhabitable for most plant life.
In fact, farmers originally called the area barrens because it is unsuitable for agriculture. The region, however, provides excellent habitat for rare plant species which are specially adapted to withstand heat, drought, toxic conditions, and, of course, fire. For the serpentine prairie and savanna communities common to the barrens, fire burns away old leaves, causing new ones to grow and stimulates seeds to germinate. The serpentine aster is an extremely rare plant that can be found only in the serpentine barrens of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The long-hairly barrens chickweed, and a whole set of ferns, including the marginal shield, hay scented, Christmas, interrupted, and maidenhair, are examples of other plant life that can endure the conditions of the barrens.