New Jersey Forest Fire Service Cross-Training with the Montana Department of Natural Resources

 

Direct link to March 6th video shared by the New Jersey Forest Service 

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has had a cooperative arrangement with the Montana Department of Natural Resources since 2017. I enjoyed this video about cross-training where the training focused on using helicopters to release ping-pong sized spheres that can be used to ignite lands for prescribed burning. Depending on the configuration of your browser. you may not be able to see the embedded video, if that is the case, please use the direct link.

Florida: Aerial Prescribed Burns and Single Engine Eagle Helicopter

Direct link to Dec. 2025 video from VerticalPlus on YouTube

I know how important prescribed burning is as a tool to manage wildfire danger. As some of you may know, I consider Florida to be one of my special places so I have an interest in following how they fight wildfires. I enjoyed the video that I am sharing here from VerticalPlus about Florida's prescribed burning program and their use of an Eagle single engine helicopter. The state of Florida uses this Eagle single engine helicopter that has been converted from a twin engine to a single engine helicopter, for aerial prescribed burns because of its efficiency. I learned more about Florida's aerial prescribed burning program.

Prescribed Burns in Winter in U.S. Forest Service Lands

 

As I write this post I have about 9 inches of snow in my yard from a snowfall on January 25th, others areas in New Jersey and environs got more snow, see this page from the Northeast Regional Climate Center  for more information on this storm.  I am not here to report on the winter weather. I was curious about the effects of winter snowfall on wildfire operations, e.g. what sort of operations can happen on snow covered lands in the winter. I did a brief search on line and found that certain kinds of prescribed burns, known as pile burning are very effective on snow covered lands in US Forest Service lands. During warmer weather when US Forest Service crews engage in fuel reductions by removing larger trees, often those that are dead or in the process of dying as well as removing smaller brush. Large logs can be used as building materials. That leaves smaller limbs and brush. Smaller limbs and brush are gathered in piles that are burned in the winter. Burning these piles in the winter is known as pile burning. See this 2023 document from the U.S. Forest Service for more information  In the short video that I am embedding below, you will learn more about pile burning.

   

Direct link to August 2025 U.S. Forest Service video on YouTube 

Prescribed Burning as Fire and Forest Management in Montana and Maine

In the years that I have been writing this blog I have come to see the important role of prescribed burns. Prescribed burns is not new as indigenous peoples have been conducted what we call prescribed burns for decades.

I am sharing two videos from The Nature Conservancy on prescribed burns. The YouTube channel for The Nature Conservancy may be found here.  While the nuances of prescribed burns in different states and other countries in the world may differ, these two videos helped me to learn more about prescribed burns.

The first video highlights prescribed burning in Montana which I found interested because I recently finished reading Fury of the Beast by Dave Scott where among other things he discusses prescribed burns as a tool for forest management in Montana.

Direct link to July 2021 video by the Nature Conservancy on YouTube

The second video discusses training firefighters in conducting prescribed burns and fire management in Maine As I have spent time in northern New England in years past, I was especially interested in this video.

Direct link to December 2025 video by the Nature Conservancy on YouTube

Prescribed burns in northern California the week of January 12th

I continue to reflect on what I learned when I read When it All Burns by Jordan Thomas. Mr. Thomas spent some time talking about conducting prescribed burns in California. It has been on my mind to try to keep an eye for information on prescribed burns in California as I read Mike Archer's (of Archer Copywriting) five day a week e-mail, Wildfire News of the Day (link to subscribe to Mr. Archer's newsletter may be found here. Thanks to two recent e-mail newsletters from Wildfire News of the Day, I found two links to prescribed burns in northern California about prescribed burns that were being conducted this week. 

The first link is to Shasta-Trinity National Forest where they are referencing prescribed burns that are happening the week of January 12, 2026. As you can see, there are multiple prescribed burns and they are notifying the public that these areas may be closed and for nearby residents to be aware of smoke emanating from these prescribed burns.

The second link is from KRCR for a January 12, 2026 report on a prescribed burn happening near the area burned by the 2018 Paradise Fire. At least some of these prescribed burns involve burning what they call machine piles (of wood).

Prescribed Burns; Benefits and Addressing Myths

 

Direct link to video from CBS Evening News on YouTube

While the video I shared above is shot in California, I think that the report has good information that applies across the United States and elsewhere. I want to thank my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 Webpage for sharing this video on their webpage the other day. They post a few videos daily and I try to go and look at them at each day. As the folk behind the NJFFS Section B10 webpage are wildland firefighters and I am not, I always consider that the videos they share have reliable information. 

I am aware that there are  misconceptions and myths about prescribed burns and this video report addresses some of the myths. For example, while accidents can happen, Governments do not start prescribed burns to start wildfires.

I suspect that the exact specifics of when and what agencies conduct prescribed burns in your area will vary from the what you see in the video report in northern California. The US Forest Service has a page describing their prescribed fires (aka burns), they say in part: "Did you know fire can be good for people and the land? After many years of fire exclusion, an ecosystem that needs periodic fire becomes unhealthy. Trees are stressed by overcrowding; fire-dependent species disappear; and flammable fuels build up and become hazardous."

In New Jersey, prescribed burns are conducted between October 1 and March 31, with many prescribed burns conducted in late winter and early spring. The NJ Forest Fire Service has a nice webpage that may be found here where they discuss what prescribed burns are:

What is a prescribed burn? Technically, a prescribed burn is: "the skillful application of fire under exacting conditions of weather and fuel in a predetermined area, for a specific purpose to achieve specific results."

Since 1928, the Fire Service has used fire as a tool to protect the lives and property of our residents living near the forestlands of New Jersey. We do this by setting fires under exacting conditions to reduce the underbrush (the "fuel" for a fire), in areas that are prone to fire, or that may be located in a position where we feel we can defend against an oncoming wildfire. The use of fire in this way requires a level of skill and competence that we encourage through extensive, ongoing training.

The primary purpose of prescribed burning in New Jersey is to reduce the hazardous accumulations of forest fuels. This aids in the prevention of wildfires, reduces the intensity of the fires, and also provides a foundation for safer, more effective fire suppression and protection operations.

They then go on to give a short history, and discuss the steps they follow in conducting a prescribed burn: planning, preparation, execution, and smoke management. I believe that the information on the NJFFS prescribed burn webpage is inline with prescribed fires conducted by the US Forest Service.

Prescribed burns are an important tool to reduce the risk of wildfires. Thanks to all the wildland firefighters whether they are on the ground or in the air doing prescribed burns.

2024 NJFFS Prescribed Burns: February 7th Update

 It is late winter here in New Jersey and that means that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is ramping up to do prescribed burns. The prescribed burning season is from October 1 to March 31, see the NJ Forest Fire Service About Prescribed Burn Page and click on planning. I know that the NJ Forest Fire Service did at least two prescribed burns on February 5th, both in Ocean County.

I follow the NJ Forest Fire Service on Facebook where prescribed burns happening on a specific day may be listed, as is the case for February 5th prescribed burns. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a map of prescribed fire notifications listing active and scheduled prescribed burns that may be found here. To learn more about prescribed burns see this 2023 news release from the NJ Forest Fire Service.

I can say that over the years that when I have driven in or through areas where a prescribed burn is being conducted there is signage alerting drivers and while I have never driven on a road that was temporarily closed to a prescribed burn, I assume that there is road closed signage with detours posted. 

I am updating this post to embed a post below from the NJ Forest Fire Service notifying us of prescribed burns scheduled for today, February 7th.

Finally, The NJ Forest Fire Service Sections A7/8 shared a notice from the Mercer County Park Commission on their Facebook page this morning. Their Facebook page requires that you have a Facebook account so out of deference to those of you who are not on Facebook, I am not including the link to their site but I am embedding the post from the Mercer County Park Commission:

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: More Prescribed Burns

On November 13th, I shared photos from a prescribed burn that New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews conducted in Sussex County on November 11th, I continue writing about prescribed burns today. I do try to check out the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) on social media on most days because it is one of the ways that I can see what the NJFFS is doing or what is of interest to them at the moment. This week, I noticed two posts on consecutive days about prescribed burns that the NJFFS conducted on those days. Knowing that the NJFFS may conduct prescribed burns in the fall, I went to the NJFFS Prescribed Burns Information Page to find out exactly when the prescribed burn season is in New Jersey. I clicked on "planning" on that page and see that the prescribed burn season in New Jersey runs from October 1st to March 31st, in the following excerpt from this page you will learn a little about planning considerations:

Prescribed burning is a job requiring knowledge of forest fuels, fire behavior, suppression techniques, local weather conditions, and fires effects. Consequently, a written plan must be developed well in advance of the proposed burn to allow time for review and the preparation of all necessary permits. 

Planning considerations include a site map depicting the burn area, objectives and techniques; ranges of preferred weather conditions (wind, temperature, relative humidity); smoke management considerations (developed areas, highways); burning techniques, equipment and manpower needs, emergency suppression procedures, permit requirements and notification procedures. New Jersey's prescribed burning season is limited to the period between October 1 and March 31. 

I am very thankful that the NJFFS has a good prescribed burning program that helps to reduce fuels. I know that after planning and preparation for the burn that the crews work to do the burn safely and without impacting the public. I myself have seen road signs when I have been driving in or near an area with a prescribed burn letting drivers know of the prescribed burn. And their may be additional warnings so nearby residents know that a prescribed burn is happening.

 Thank-you New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Photos from a Prescribed Burn

On Saturday November 11 wildland firefighters from New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section A1 and A2 conducted a 25 acre prescribed burn in Montague Township located in northern Sussex County bordering New York and Pennsylvania.

Prescribed burns, aka Rx burns are an important tool to help reduce the risk of wildfires where wildland firefighting crews go in under very specific conditions to set fires to burn away underbrush. Go here to read more about the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's prescribed burning program.

Here are some photos from the NJ Forest Fire Service Section A1 (shared on their Facebook page) of this prescribed burn. Click on the Facebook post below to see the photos.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service: Spring Prescribed Burning Season (March 31st)

 I am not in the position to know when the New Jersey Forest Fire Service will stop doing prescribed burns this spring. As the calendar changes to April tomorrow and with it a continuation of the spring wildfire season, I wonder if the prescribed burns that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) conducted on March 30th and again today (March 31st) will be the last of the prescribed burns. I do monitor the NJFFS's Facebook page so if they continue with prescribed burns into April then I may know about it. 

NJ Forest Fire Service: Spring 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (March 29th)

After pausing due to rain as well as a day or two of high fire danger, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is continuing conducting prescribed burns. I am not sure how long prescribed burns will continue this spring.

NJ Forest Fire Service: Spring 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (March 10th)

Prescribed burning season continues in New Jersey with 11 prescribed burns that were conducted around NJ on March 9th including one in Old Bridge (Middlesex County NJ). As you can see from the embedded post below from the NJ Forest Fire Service, prescribed burning continues today, March 10th.

Thanks to the NJFFS Section B10 who posts videos on various aspects of wildland firefighting on a daily basis, I learned about a nice video from CBS2 in New York City taken from one of their helicopters over a prescribed burn in Old Bridge NJ. Now, I am not certain that the footage you will see in this short video was shot on March 9th and that may not matter, it is good footage. I loved this video because I have not seen much aerial footage of a prescribed burn. I am not sure how it came to pass that the helicopter from CBS2 in New York City was over this prescribed burn. Was it intentional or luck? If it was luck and being in the right place at the right time to get this footage, kudos to Jim Smith from CBS2 or his producers for getting good information from the NJ Forest Fire Service about their prescribed burning program.

Direct link to video on YouTube from CBSNewYork reported by Jim Smith

NJ Forest Fire Service: Spring 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (March 6th)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continues with prescribed burns. After doing prescribed burns on February 27th, we were in a rainy pattern through March 4th. I for one welcomed the rain, however the rainy period meant that, as far as I know, prescribed burns were not scheduled. Prescribed burning resumed on Sunday, March 5th with prescribed burns in Cumberland and Gloucester County (Southern NJ) and the following counties in central NJ (Monmouth and Ocean).

I believe that under normal circumstances the prescribed burning season in New Jersey is through March 15th. However, sometimes the NJFFS the may extend the prescribed burning season into late March if rain or snow or other weather led to delays in doing scheduled prescribed burns as long as fire weather is not too bad. 

Prescribed burns are scheduled for today, March 6th.

Direct link to March 6th post by the NJFFS on Facebook

New Jersey Forest Fire Service 2023 Wildfire Season and Prescribed Burns continue (February 24)

 

As the spring prescribed burning season in New Jersey continues, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) has been also worked small brushfires around the State. I do not have access to number for this fire season, but I do know of some small brush fires thanks to reliable social media. These small brushfires include but are not limited to the following brushfires, thanks to the North Jersey Wildland Fire Association's Facebook page who support Division A (northern NJ) of the NJFFS. I am listing brushfires where I know that the NJFFS responded. I did not list a few other small brush fires that I saw where I did not know if the NJFFS responded. My thanks to the NJFFS for containing these small brush fires fairly quickly and in some cases before nearby residences and other structures were threatened. 

Blairstown (Warren County) NJ on February 20th, 1/4 acre

Alexandria Township (Hunterdon County) NJ on February 20, 3 acres

Pochuck Valley (Sussex County) NJ on February 16, acreage unknown

Wantage (Sussex County) NJ on February 7, 1/4 acre

Martinsville (Somerset County) NJ on February 6, acreage unknown

NJ Forest Fire Service 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (Feb 20th update)

 Today is the Presidents Day holiday here in much of the United States. While a holiday for some, it is not a holiday for members of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service who may be on call in the event a wildfire breaks out. This is also the spring prescribed burning season here in New Jersey, so wildland firefighters are conducting prescribed burns today around New Jersey. Today's prescribed burns are being conducted in Burlington (3), Cumberland (1), Mercer, (1)  Monmouth (3) , and Ocean (5) Counties. For details see the Facebook post below and click on more. 

Thank-you to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for all you do to keep us in New Jersey safe from wildfires.

Direct link to February 20th Facebook Post from the NJ Forest Fire Service

NJ Forest Fire Service 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (February 17th Update)

I continue with the NJ Forest Fire Service spring 2023 prescribed burning season by referencing this February 10th news release from the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)  discusses prescribed burns conducted by the NJFFS. The NJFFS conducts prescribed burns in the spring of each year, and sometimes in the fall, “to reduce wildfire risk and manage natural resources by burning the buildup of potential fuels such as undergrowth, leaves, branches and pine needles on forest floor.” 

In conducting prescribed the NJFFS considers 

Several climatological and environmental conditions, all of which influence a burn’s intensity and severity, are considered when conducting prescribed burns to accomplish various resource and ecological objectives, such as reducing hazard fuels and managing habitats. The Forest Fire Service and Division of Air Quality work together to assess wind speed, humidity and temperature and to determine the best days to conduct prescribed burning. Other factors considered include the density and arrangement of the vegetation being burned. ... In 2022, the Forest Fire Service completed prescribed burns on 11,925 acres of state-owned lands, 3,363 acres of other government-owned land and 1,694 acres of privately owned property, for a total of 16,982 acres. (NJDEP February 10, 2023 News release)

For additional information on the NJFFS prescribed burning program please refer to the news release from the NJDEP.

As I wrote on February 8th, the spring prescribed burning season began in early February. In order to keep informed I signed up for text and email alerts from the NJFSS  . The NJFFS also has a facebook page where you may find information on current prescribed burns. In addition, the NJFFS implemented a prescribed fire dashboard in 2022  where you may find information on current active and scheduled prescribed burns.

In the last week, the NJFFS has conducted prescribed burns around the state in Burlington, Cumberland, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Ocean, Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Sussex Counties. Prescribed burns are conducted weather permitting and scheduled burns may be postponed if the weather conditions are not favorable. As I write this, there is light rain in my area and we had some light rain yesterday. I have not yet received any notifications about prescribed burns scheduled for today, February 17th.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2023 Prescribed Burning Season (Feb 8)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) has begun to do prescribed burns to reduce litter and plants in the field or forest to reduce the chance of wildfires. For more on the NJFFS prescribed burning program read this news release from February 2022. 

On February 6th prescribed burns were conducted in Burlington, Camden, Ocean, Somerset and Sussex Counties, for more information see this Facebook Post by the NJFFS. The next day the NJFFS conducted prescribed burns in Cumberland, Ocean, and Somerset Counties, go to this Feb 7th Facebook post by the NJFFS for more information.

Wildland Firefighting: more on aerial ignition by helicopters using PSDs (ping pong balls)

In my previous post, I shared a video about how helicopters are used in aerial ignition using ping pong balls or PSDs to perform backburns (go here to see my October 17th post). I follow-up on that post by embedding two more videos. 

The first video is shot in 2014 during a training run where you will see how the PSDs or ping pong balls are loaded into the assembly on the helicopter for dropping on the wildfire or controlled burn. Both videos are a few years old and perhaps some of the drop mechanisms and technology have changed, but I think you will get the idea, I know I did.

Direct link to video by Phillip Garrett on YouTube

In the second video, shot in 2013, you will hear John Holloran from the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee discuss how PSDs are loaded onto a helicopter and later dropped to help with controlled burns or prescribed fires.

Direct link to video by the Knoxville News Sentinel on YouTube.

Prescribed burning at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (Chesapeake Bay)

I got back yesterday from a short trip with some good friends to the Chesapeake Bay region in Maryland. We only had three days there and one of the treasures was the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, Maryland. Always being on the alert for anything about wildfires, in this case prescribed burns, when we got to the visitors center of Blackwater, I noted that they had a display talking about prescribed burning in the refuge and why it is important. I was not thinking at the time, so I did not take a photo to share with you. I did appreciate and applaud the Fish and Wildlife Service for putting up this display to educate the public about the importance of prescribed burning. 

We were there twice, the second time we were there, I was asking one of the rangers if there was any flooding on the shorter driving tour that we were going to take, there was not. By the way, this was our second time on the driving tour. Anyway, she took the time to tell me that there was a prescribed burn going on, that we might see smoke. If there was any smoke, we were distracted by looking at the beauty of Blackwater, and later troubleshooting our maps app so we could get back to the place we were staying. Anyway, I do appreciate this prescribed burn in preparation for planting winter crops to support wildlife.

I thought that some of you might enjoy getting to know the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge so I am sharing a video of the driving tour we took. This was shot in the summer of 2020 by the Friends of Blackwater

Direct link to video on YouTube by the Friends of Blackwater NWR

2022 NJ wildfire season: Prescribed burns (March 29th & 30th)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service continues to conduct prescribed burns this week. The schedule of prescribed burns is dependent on favorable weather conditions.

March 29th (see NJFFS March 29th Facebook post)

Burlington County 

- Pemberton Township - Brendan T Byrne State Forest

- Pemberton Township - Private Property 

Ocean County

- Lacey Township - Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area

- Manchester Township - Brendan T Byrne State Forest

- Jackson Township - Municipal Property

Passaic County 

- Ringwood Borough - Ringwood State Park

Somerset County 

- Bernards Township - County Property

March 30th (see NJFFS March 30th Facebook Post)

Burlington County 

- Pemberton Township - Brendan T Byrne State Forest

- Woodland Township - Private Property 

Cumberland County 

- Downe Township - Millville Wildlife Management Area

- Lawrence Township - Millville Wildlife Management Area

Monmouth County

- Wall Township - Private Property 

Ocean County

- Jackson Township - Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area

- Manchester Township - Brendan T Byrne State Forest

Sussex County 

- Andover Township - Kittatinny Valley State Park

Obtained on March 30, 2022 from https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/general_ref/stco_outline/cen2k_pgsz/stco_NJ.pdf