Cane communities occur on floodplains, bogs, riparian woods, pine barrens and savannas, and pocosins. Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies and barrens. The sandy uplands of South Jersey are home to the Atlantic coastal pine barrens. It grows in upland open woods, fields, barrens, and rocky cliffs. Sea urchin barrens have replaced kelp forests in multiple areas. Grasslands and "barrens" have replaced previously forested areas leading to greater soil erosion. When otters are removed, urchin populations grow and reduce the kelp forest creating urchin barrens. The Pine Barrens, consisting of pine forests, is in the southern part of the state. Forest fires have contributed to the dominance of pitch pine in the Pine Barrens. The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Railroads soon connected the various small towns that existed across the Pine Barrens. Efforts to battle forest fire attract debate over how to best preserve the Pine Barrens. Paulie suggests that they dump him somewhere in the Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens were home to many rural, backwoods families. The Pine Barrens region is in the southern interior of New Jersey.