When you think of the best way to fight forest fires, you probably don’t think “by starting another fire.”
But that’s actually the method being used.
The Central Pine Barrens Commission has released its “Prescribed Fire Management Plan,” the goal of which is to reduce forest fires by burning off the “fuel” that dead branches and undergrowth provide.
“It may seem ironic that fire is the best tool we have to prevent devastating wildfires and ensure the continued health of the spectacular Central Pine Barrens region, but that is the case for many reasons,” the commission’s interim executive director, Judy Jakobsen, said in an interview.
The commission is under a five-year contract to the state Department of Environmental Conservation to carry out the prescribed fire plan, she said.
The DEC and the Pine Barrens Commission have been training in recent weeks at areas like Otis Pike Preserve and Line Road in Calverton, Sarnoff Preserve in Riverside and Whiskey Road in Rocky Point.