Wildfires Starting Under Dangerous Environmental Conditions

By Bob Vosseller and Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – A

few recent wildfires destroying thousands of acres have underscored how environmental conditions are impacting forests and endangering those living close to them.

Peak forest fire season in New Jersey runs from mid-March through May, as the weather warms, winds pick up, and it becomes less humid. The trees don’t have a full canopy of leaves, so sunlight reaches the forest floor, drying leaves that have been laying there since fall. The season may continue longer if weather is dry.

Starting June 6, firefighters were battling the “Glory Fire” that originated near East Commodore Boulevard and Cedar Swamp Road in Jackson. It impacted more than 50 acres and officials stated that 30 structures had been threatened. There were several fires in the northern part of the state on June 6 as well. Days before that, the Bass River State Forest blaze named the “Allen Road Wildfire” incinerated 5,000 acres. It closed local roads as well as several miles of the Garden State Parkway.

In situations like this, firefighters set up structure protection to shield nearby homes and other buildings. They monitor changes in wind direction and speed, to predict where the fire will spread. They also use backfiring to burn away underbrush so that a wildfire has less fuel to feed on.

NJ Forest Fire Service Assistant Division Warden Trevor Raynor said Jackson fire “was discovered under Red Flag fire weather conditions. The National Weather Service puts out that alert. A red flag warning means that the forest and the fuels and the weather is all combined to be conducive to a rapid spread of wildfires.”

“We get that messaging out ahead but unfortu- nately there was a fire detected and it is burning under these more severe conditions,” he said. “The fire is burning a little more aggressively than it would this time of year. June is typically our green (flag) season but things are dry out right now, having a lack of rainfall.”

Officials reported Stage 3 restrictions in place for northern and central New Jersey which means that no fires of any kind are permitted.

Stage 2 restrictions remain in place for southern New Jersey which means all fires in wooded areas will be prohibited unless they are in an elevated prepared fireplace.

The fire officials stressed the lack of significant rain fall in the previous three weeks. It was also stated that a 30% increase in fire activity has been recorded in New Jersey so far this year.

Red flag warnings are serious and not many are issued per year so when they are issued residents should heed those warnings, officials said.

Greg McLaughlin, the chief state fire warden for New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said “keep in mind that spring is fire season in New Jersey and if some of the elements of the weather come together, low humidity and wind, that is enough to have a significant fire start and spread. Red Flag warnings bring in all the parameters of weather, wind, temperature, humidity.”

“The continuing impacts of climate change mean our state is experiencing more severe weather conditions, storms, wind and drought that can result in a longer wildfire season, which is why it is more important than ever that the public exercise caution and take steps to help protect their homes and property,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said prior to forest fire season. “Preventing wildfires also helps avoid catastrophic releases of carbon that contribute to and exacerbate climate change.”