re:reporting fires in the pines

[cranbrake]

reporting fires in the pines

I tried replying to the recent post of the same title,but couldn't(maybe it's locked out from replies?).........

But I was going to say that I'd be very tempted/inclined to NOT reporting a fire in the pines(with the possible exception of a fire burning very close to inhabited residential development-which likely would not be allowed to burn too long anyway without going unnoticed)........

I'm no forester but i do know how essential a role fire plays in our beloved barens-i.e. without fire,there would be no pine barrens.I feel like I'm just pointing out the obvious to most here but I believe some here may not be aware of it.I see results of fire supression all over the united states,not just in south jersey............

Maybe I'm kidding myself expecting fire to eventually be allowed to play it's full role-or anything even close to it- in this day and age(due to our constant expansion/encroachment upon 'wild' areas) but at least one by one folks are waking up from the old 'smokey the bear' misinformation campaign/mindset.There's a reason foresters set/use fires as a vital part of their practice.Hope this isn't taken the wrong way,just thought it deserved to be tossed into the ring.

 

[Pandot]

I would most certainly call someone. I'm surrounded by forest, both state- and privately-owned, and it's not up to me to decide what fires should be extinguished and which fires should be allowed the opportunity to spread into inhabited areas, campsites, private property, fragile ecosystems, etc. If I smell or see smoke and it appears to be a threat, I believe the only responsible thing to do is report it. And considering how many glowing cigarettes I still see tossed out of moving vehicles, the campaign to try to prevent uncontrolled, unmanaged fires hasn't impacted all that many. In summer of '08 my husband and I prevented one ourselves when we saw smoke on the side of the road. We swung the car around and stomped out what, within moments, had become actual flames... and the discarded butt was there, too. It wouldn't have taken long for that to become something nasty.
IMHO, nothing good can come out of a true wildfire around here. Too much risk.
pandot