Controlled burn planned Sunday in Egg Harbor Township

[dogg57]

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - The Atlantic County Range Facility, located at 175 Betsy Scull Road, will close at 1 p.m. today in preparation for a controlled burn of 18 acres being conducted by the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service.
The burn, being done with assistance from the Atlantic County Division of Parks and Recreation, was originally scheduled to occur on Feb. 5, but was cancelled due to wet conditions. The Fire Service requires three consecutive days without precipitation prior to a burn, and wind conditions are also a factor.

County spokeswoman Linda Gilmore said controlled burns eliminate underbrush and leaf litter that can fuel wildfires, while also serving to stimulate new forest growth. This is the first of several planned burns to be conducted this year on county-owned properties, Gilmore said.
County officials advise residents that smoke may be visible during the burn, but not to be alarmed.
For more information on the program, contact Clayton Ingersoll, Atlantic County Division of Parks and Recreation, at (609) 625-8219.
From Press staff reports |

 

[46er]

We were over the beach today and there were 2 going on, one a nice sized one, maybe around Warren Grove vacinity, and another further south.

And there is little water left in the bay from 2 days of winds

 

[Demolition_x]

This Photo is from Apple Pie Hill Fire Tower.

This one is from speedwell place road.

Actually got to drive through part of the burnat forge rd and 539.

If you asked me or any one else it seemed like way to much smoke for a controlled burn but that is the only thing i heard about on the radio.

 

[PINEY MIKE]

We were up on Apple Pie Hill Sunday as well. Did Len let you in the tower? Quite a few burns over the weekend and plenty more coming.

 

[46er]

Greenwood and Colliers Mill are burning today.

 

[Pan]

How often do these "controlled burns" turn into disastrous forest fires?

 

[Gibby]

Greenwood and Colliers Mill are burning today.

The Forest Service was doing controlled burns by the new National Guard building and Joint Base area along Route 539. Colliers Mills was burned last week. It was nice to walk through the burned area today and see the bird activity. Bluebirds were abundant.

 

[Pan]

The Forest Service was doing controlled burns by the new National Guard building and Joint Base area along Route 539. Colliers Mills was burned last week. It was nice to walk through the burned area today and see the bird activity. Blue birds were abundant.

It is wonderful to see how fast the pitch pine forests in the Barrens recovers from fire. A month from today there will be yellow-green sprouts everywhere.

 

[Gibby]

It is wonderful to see how fast the pitch pine forests in the Barrens recovers from fire. A month from today there will be yellow-green sprouts everywhere.

It has been less than a week and already there is growth in the charred areas. You have to look close but there is grass that has started to push through. It is interesting to see the opened pine cones and split acorns. Fire is a necessity for regeneration, but I don't think controlled burns get hot enough sometimes. There is still alot of fuel on the ground.

 

[Demolition_x]

We were up on Apple Pie Hill Sunday as well. Did Len let you in the tower? Quite a few burns over the weekend and plenty more coming.

I personally didn't go up in the tower. We had a few gals with us that never been to the tower so they took the trek up. I did see the tower was manned. I didn't notice a vehicle parked there. While we were waiting a fella in a mini van did drive right up to the tower and took some pictures and drove back down. I guess the signs at the bottom of the hill did not apply to him.

 

[PINEY MIKE]

If the tower is manned, they will almost always allow you in. I think itd be pretty neat to bring a kid up there, as the guys are very friendly and informative on the burns and the area. Theyll show you some maps and let you use their binoculars to see the other towers and any fires that may be burning.

 

[Boyd]

"See that fire tower over there? The man in that tower -- you take him fifty yards away from that tower and he's lost. He don't know the woods. He don't know the woods. He don't know the woods. He don't know nothing. He can't even fry a hamburger"

--Fred Brown as quoted by John McPhee in The Pine Barrens

 

[GermanG]

I know it's been many years since McPhee's book was written, but my experience has been far from Brown’s characterization of Forest Fire Service staff. Maybe he had a bad encounter or two, or maybe he was one of those types with an insecurity complex when it came to someone else having knowledge. In any case, while some may disagree with their methods or management goals, most of them know the woods like the back of their hands. That is due to the way they fight fires, which is fairly unique to New Jersey. Once smoke has been spotted and its map location is triangulated by spotters from two towers, that location must be conveyed to brush truck operators fairly accurately. That requires an intimate knowledge of the area’s network of paved and sand roads and any development on them. For every major fire we hear about, many more are spotted while small and quickly estinguished. I remember Cliff Oakley telling me how impressed he was when he tossed a damp log on his fireplace at the Wells Mills cabin and he shortly got a call from the Cedar Bridge tower asking if everything was OK. His chimney was well below the tree line and the nature center was not yet built, yet the tower operator knew exactly where the smoke was coming from. Anyone who has been up a tower and gazed at the expanse of nothingness in most directions should appreciate that knowledge.

 

[skip3]

"See that fire tower over there? The man in that tower -- you take him fifty yards away from that tower and he's lost. He don't know the woods. He don't know the woods. He don't know the woods. He don't know nothing. He can't even fry a hamburger"

--Fred Brown as quoted by John McPhee in The Pine Barrens

I think most in my area know the woods better than they know their wives........ but I must admit I don't like to get a permit to build a fire big enough to make smores for my kid