Prescribed Burning Bill

[smoke_jumper]

I just came across this the other day. I could be wrong but this would allow the forest fire service to train land owners to do their own prescribed on their lands.


http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/S0500/368_I1.PDF

 

[bobpbx]

This bill would give the Forest Service unprecedented powers and pack their purses with money to continue to build up that power and equipment and men. From the statement at the end of the bill:

27..............The bill would establish the
28 procedures to be followed in conducting such burns, and it would
29 authorize the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), under certain
30 conditions, to conduct prescribed burns on any area of land within
31 the State which is determined by the State Firewarden or designee
32 thereof to be in reasonable danger of wildfire.

It is a sham bill to give them these powers.

 

[Boyd]

That bill covers circumstances under which the state can conduct prescribed burns on private property, explains the state's responsibility to provide advance notice and how a landowner can appeal the decision if he objects. It also says that a landowner can propose alternate methods of reducing fire danger (like clearing brush I suppose). This is something I've wondered about before. How does this differ from current policy? Does the state have the right to perform prescribed burns on private land now, or are they limited to public land?

Bob, I just read this quickly but I don't understand your "pack their purses" comment. In the case of private land (as I read it), if the STATE wants to conduct a burn on private land, they cannot charge the landowner. But if the LANDOWNER wants to conduct a burn, then they need permits, etc. Maybe I'm reading this wrong... my eyes glaze over when I try to read legislative documents.

 

[Star Tree]

If you look at the various state statutes there is very little written concerning prescribed burning, except a little in air pollution codes.
Currently the Forest Fire Service burns on private lands only as an agent of the land owner, as time allows, utilizing mostly part time personnel. The land owner pays the costs and has total responsibility. One of the biggest hurtles for a land owner attempting to burn is the liability and the cost of insurance.
One of reasons behind the legislation is to help facilitate burning on private land anther is to help protect properties when surrounding land owners are absentee. I know the property rights folks aren’t going to like this since it would also provide a mechanism to work on lands if a property owner was uncooperative...

 

[dogg57]

http://www.prescribedburns.com/

 

[Star Tree]

Hi dogg57:
Sure smoke can be an issue, especially around the senior development where there are a higher probability of folks with lung disorders. The web site you reference sites burning on the west coast. I really can’t speak for them since I’m really not that familiar with their environment. Most all of the burning in NJ is performed in the winter on days where the weather is conducive for burning. On these days the air generally has the ability to lift the smoke and blow it away usually out to sea. Most of the time the heavy fuels are too damp to burn this allows almost all of the smoke to be gone by the following day. I know this is an issue in other parts of the nation where conditions are dry enough for large thing to ignite and burn for an extended period of time.
I believe the benefits of prescribed fire out weighs the negatives.

 

[local vollie]

This bill would give the Forest Service unprecedented powers and pack their purses with money to continue to build up that power and equipment and men. From the statement at the end of the bill:

27..............The bill would establish the
28 procedures to be followed in conducting such burns, and it would
29 authorize the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), under certain
30 conditions, to conduct prescribed burns on any area of land within
31 the State which is determined by the State Firewarden or designee
32 thereof to be in reasonable danger of wildfire.

It is a sham bill to give them these powers.

....."This bill would give the Forest Service unprecedented powers and pack their purses with money to continue to build up that power and equipment and men"........WOW, you couldn't be further from the truth if you drove for 3 days !!!!! WHAT MONEY ???? WHAT POWER ???? WHAT EQUIPMENT ????? Let me set you straight. EVERY year, the NJFFS has been underfunded, raided, and left without enough funds to even cover fuel costs for their vehicles. Much of their equipment could qualify for QQ plates (Historic, for those who aren't aware). Many of the "full time" positions have been cut, and manning is done more and more frequently with part-time, paid on call, firefighters. As for "power", never in the history of the FFS has their been so much oversight by individuals that have no clue what the NJFFS does, or for that matter, even exists. As for the equipment, most police cars are retired after 2-4 years, public works vehicles 5-10, school buses mandatory after 10 years, so why are there NJFFS trucks out there that are 20+ years old? Especially when lives depend upon them? A District Firewarden for 2012 is paid $12hr. to put his/her life on the line to save life and property. Hardly seems worth the effort, doesn't it? Especially in the time of a wildfire. But those who do, know the satisfaction of a job well done, and the few dollars made usually doesn't cover the money lost from their full time job.

As for private property, currently the landowner is resposible for ALL liability, and pays the expense of ANY part-time employees utilized, and must provide workmen's comp also. This bears no expense to the taxpayer. The upside is that fire protection is provided for by individuals trained in wildland supression, should a prescribed burn get out of hand. For that reason, private individuals probably shouldn't handle these burns unless they can demonstrate to the residing Section Firewarden their ability to provide for adequate fire protection.