Due to much of the state being covered in snow during the month of February and with a goal of completing prescribed burns by March 15 looming, New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews are working hard to make up for lost time. Their crews started burning last week during the first good weather window of 2021, with a 9,000-acre goal for the weekend. The agency considers the prescribed burning program to be one of its primary tools to reduce hazardous fuels that that can increase the intensity of wildfires.
These photos were taken March 6 by James Douglass at a 2,300-acre prescribed burn the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in the heart of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. This year the NJFFS anticipates conducting prescribed burns on at least 30,000 acres depending on weather conditions. Most burns occur on state-owned property such as state forests, parks, wildlife management areas, and other government lands.