Fire management plan nearly 25 years in the making outlines how controlled burns can prevent forest fires Firefighters train for a prescribed burn at Otis Pike Preserve in Calverton. (Credit: Polly L. Weigand)
When you think of the best way to fight forest fires, you probably don’t think “by starting another fire.”
But that’s actually the method being used.
The Central Pine Barrens Commission has released its “Prescribed Fire Management Plan,” the goal of which is to reduce forest fires by burning off the “fuel” that dead branches and undergrowth provide.
“It may seem ironic that fire is the best tool we have to prevent devastating wildfires and ensure the continued health of the spectacular Central Pine Barrens region, but that is the case for many reasons,” the commission’s interim executive director, Judy Jakobsen, said in an interview.