controlled burns

[manumuskin]

i was in the barrens monday and there were two controlled burns going on.one was on the east side of 539 between tuckerton and the lower plains and the other was on the west side of weymouth elwood road between the expressway and elwood in the north section of makepeace wma.
the first one scared me.i was a half mile from my vehicl when i became aware that i was smelling smoke and then the light kinda got that orange glow.i started hoofing toward the car and just before i got there everything cleared and the smell was gone.later as i headed east on 72 i could see south that it was near warren grove.a couple hours later i exited the barrens south through warren grove and road right through the haze with flaming trees visible back in the gloom.later i passed through antoher similar sceen south of elwood.the barrens were on fire and man was the culprit.
Al

 

[Hewey]

The forest service was doing prescribed burns in Berkeley twp. yesterday. News 12 reported in the morning that the state was going to be doing some burning in the pines. I had a friend call me from Bamber and said he could see smoke up my way, I looked out my kitchen window and saw the smoke and went out for a ride to check it out. They were burning in Double trouble on Pinewald-Keswick rd. .

 

[freerider]

Is there research that supports the successfulness of controlled burns in the Pines?

I would like to read about it.

 

[MartGBC]

One reason they do is so that a forest fire can be avoided by somebody tossing a lit cigarette out a car window.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Al, I was driving down Elwood Road when the forest fire guys were preparing for the burn. They were digging some fire stops and removing some small trees along the road. I drove by there again today and was impressed by the fact that the ground was black but none of the shrubs were burnt at all.

 

[PINEY MIKE]

Is there research that supports the successfulness of controlled burns in the Pines?

Im sure there is. They do this for a handful of well researched reasons. They do it in the pines, in many parks and conservation areas, and especially out west. Imagine a forest fire with all that low brush, wood, leaves, and pines. It would travel a hell of a lot faster and be a lot hotter than if they took care of it before hand. Im not sure if something like this can even have a success rate. I think its just a given that this helps prevent even worse damage from occurring. It's also a healthy way to allow new vegetation to replenish our forests.

 

[dragoncjo]

I think Freerider offers a interesting question. I believe the intention of controlled burns is to burn up tinder that could ignite a larger more destructive(to homeowners) blaze. But what is really best for the pines and for the pine forest to be maintained? A hot burn will burn up alot of the oaks, maples, and leave some of the pine trees....resulting in a true pine forest. Over time even with controlled burns I would think a maple/oak forest will develop, I think the hot burns are needed every so often to wipe out the non pine trees. This is just my understanding, may someone knows the best answer.

 

[manumuskin]

Al, I was driving down Elwood Road when the forest fire guys were preparing for the burn. They were digging some fire stops and removing some small trees along the road. I drove by there again today and was impressed by the fact that the ground was black but none of the shrubs were burnt at all.

thats my highway to the barrens. i had been using it for years and regularly stretched the 25 mph speed limit through elwood but about 8 months ago my luck run out.a mullica twp cop was sitting along elwood road south of 30 just before where the speed limit jump[s to 50 and he was behind a truck parked along side the road using it as a screen.He got me doing 50 in a 25.coulda took my license but asked me if I minded a seat belt ticket instead.Now i always wear my seat belt but I said Yes Sir,that will be fine thank you.I always wondered why the ridiculously slow speed limit through there and since i didn't understand it I paid it no mind.My wife informed me of the group homws in the area.Now i had seen the signs but didn't know what a group home was.She informed my ignorant self just what they were and not I see why the speed limit is slow through there.I still think 25 is a little slow but I do it and when ever i see another Mullica river boy I just smile and wave.He coulda fried me but he didn't.But did say he was obligated to write tickets which i think was his way of saying he had a quota.Their still are some decent cops out there.
Al

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Yeah, the mullica cops are a good bunch of guys. Even the young ones are very cool-headed. Now if only I could say the same for the park police.

 

[firetech792]

Another point to remember about fire in a pine forest.....the pine cones only open and pop their seeds during high heat. (Forest fires, high intensity prescribed burns) So while cleaning out the hardwoods (oaks, maples) and under brush, its also replanting pine seeds. Without fire, pines would not regenerate.
Pete

 

[freerider]

I have been through many of the controlled burn areas in the pines.

Not sure that these burn hot enough to really accomplish the task of preventing a larger fire or limiting the area to a pine forest.

Just my non expert observations.

I know the some areas near the bomb range are to be burned hot. Certain sections by the broom crowberry are being cleared of fuel to prevent a hot fire from destroying them.

 

[Mts83]

I could smell the Elwood burn here from about 5 miles away, later on I spotted what must have been it's smoke plume from the top of the Mullica River parkway bridge.

 

[mudboy dave]

ity looks like they are doing a good job this year. The spot the hit on sandy cause way between flemming pike and last years first fire in wharton looked massive from the road, when i went to check it out. it looked like they did a great job. With my parents backyard bordering wharton, I am happy they do the controlled burns.

 

[PancoastDrifter]

I felt surrounded by fires today. I snapped this from 539 as helicopters trained at the range in the smoke of a controlled burn near Forge Road.

 

[foofoo]

in the more populated fringe areas i can understand a yearly controlled burn. im not sure nature would intend for vast areas burned out every year though. for instance when travelling down rt-539 you can see quite a long ways into the woods now and see an almost skeleton like lay out of the land. you can see deep into the woods unlike years back. the browse doesnt get to replenish like it use to.im not talking about the dead underbrush. those sections of the pines dont look like they use to.cant these bigger tracts of woods like in the greenwood get a year or 2 break?

 

[Hewey]

I felt surrounded by fires today.

I could see a good amount of smoke in the air to the south on my way home from work. I Saw the same effect at sunset from the smoke.

 

[andy1015]

great photo

 

[Bobbleton]

in the more populated fringe areas i can understand a yearly controlled burn. im not sure nature would intend for vast areas burned out every year though. for instance when travelling down rt-539 you can see quite a long ways into the woods now and see an almost skeleton like lay out of the land. you can see deep into the woods unlike years back. the browse doesnt get to replenish like it use to.im not talking about the dead underbrush. those sections of the pines dont look like they use to.cant these bigger tracts of woods like in the greenwood get a year or 2 break?

I don't think they burn the same plots every year. If they did it would have almost no effect on the shrub layer. The only way burns like this are (ecologically) effective is when they have a year or two off to let the duff build up.

Then again I suppose it depends on whether or not they're managing WITH fire, or managing to PREVENT fire (torching the fuel to prevent any real blazes). If the latter, then yearly burns would make sense. It would be stupid and pointless, but it would make sense.

 

[foofoo]

they seem to burn off the same sections year to year. maybe someone in the know could jump in.

 

[foofoo]

I don't think they burn the same plots every year. If they did it would have almost no effect on the shrub layer.

the areas that i spend many days each year hunting i use to see heavily leafed brush all over in general. i dont know the names of the particular shrubs but since they burn every year in those same spots those shrubs dont grow as high or produce the leaves. maybe huckleberries and scrub oaks?.