Pine Barrens' burning need for big fires

RELEASE: July 5, 2007 – Volume XXXVII, No. 27

It was such a small thing – not much more than a collection of sparks. But fired from an F-16 fighter jet at a National Guard practice range, one misguided flare sparked a forest fire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens that grew large enough to capture national attention.

Starting on May 15, the fire temporarily displaced 6,000 Ocean and Burlington County residents and damaged or destroyed eighteen homes before it was through. Over 17,000 acres of the Pine Barrens unique ecosystem were scorched in the blaze – a catastrophic event for the environment by any measure… right?

Actually, ecologists and biologists will tell you that this spring’s massive forest fire was more natural for the environment (despite its artificial cause) than most folks realize.

“The same wildfires that are so dangerous to people and their property are actually not destructive to the forest and natural systems,” explains Dr. Emile DeVito, Manager of Science and Stewardship for New Jersey Conservation Foundation. “The Pine Barrens need hot fires to persist, as do many of its rare species. The recent fire will be a benefit to the ecosystem.”

“Pine Barrens’ forests tend to burn easily because they have dense underbrush and dry, porous soil,” explains Dr. DeVito. “At the same time, these forests are better suited to surviving forest fires than other types of North American forests. The dominant tree species is pitch pine, with thick bark to protect from fire damage, and an ability to generate new shoots – even from fire-blackened stumps.”

“Fire also helps the pitch pine reseed. It clears the forest floor so more seeds quickly reach the soil, and thins the overhead canopy allowing more sunlight to penetrate. The heat even acts as a signal to pitch pine pinecones, to open and take advantage of these ‘ideal’ conditions by releasing their seeds.”

Before New Jersey was settled by European colonists, lightning and Native Americans would have sporadically touched off major fires in the Pine Barrens. Today, about 1500 small wildfires occur each year in the region – but almost all are quickly snuffed out by the N.J. Forest Fire Service. This deprives the Pine Barrens of the big, hot fires needed to propagate the natural ecosystems.

The N.J. Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) intentionally burns an average of 15,000 to 20,000 acres each year. These ‘prescribed burns’ are controlled fires that enhance human safety and protect private property – systematically burning away excess brush enables NJFFS to better keep wildfires under control by depriving them of potential fuel sources. Even the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, where this spring’s fire started, actually has a long history of working with New Jersey on proactive forest stewardship using a program of prescribed burns.

Prescribed burns aren’t hot enough to replicate what would naturally happen in a more chaotic (and therefore dangerous to people) fashion. This is not to minimize the impact of wild fires on the residents of affected areas. However, those impacts are best mitigated through the implementation of regional planning, such as the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan. Regional planning helps control sprawl and minimizes damage to property and lives by keeping development away from high-risk wildfire areas.

I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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