Fire has always been an integral part of forestry in south Jersey. In fact, forest fire technology in the state developed mainly from contending with the wildfires that rage through sections of the Pine Barrens every spring and fall. Today, however, fire is both friend and foe to the forester in southern New Jersey. Ever since the forester has learned to fight fire with fire, prescribed burning has proved its value more ways than one.

The idea behind prescribed, or controlled, burning is reduce the buildup of fuel on the ground and to break the of the fuel to the crown. Then, if a wildfire gets started it won't reach the crown or burn as intensely as it would in a forest that's accumulated several years of leaf fall and has an intermediate shrub layer. So not only will it make forest fires easier to suppress, but prescribed burning can also reduce damage from the devastating effects of a fire that burns fiercely.

Most important, though, prescribed burning protects nearby homes and buildings. Not always a popular idea, prescribed burning is gaining support for just this reason. With increased development in certain sections of the Pinelands, there greater threat of fire to private property and human life. Given the ecology of the region, the pine forests of south Jersey can go only so many years before fuel accumulates land fire becomes inevitable. This is sometimes called a fire-climax ecosystem; fire must be present to keep the forest going through its normal cycle of successional stages. Thus, a controlled burn can act as the climax that sets back forest succession just as nature would do if allowed to run its course.

Since most of the trees and plants in the Pine Barrens are adapted to fire, prescribed burning can also be used as a forest management tool. Many pitch pines (Pinus rigida - the predominant tree species of the south Jersey Pine Barrens), for example, have serotinous cones. These are cones which won't release their seed until exposed to heat, such as the heat of a fire. Also the seed won't germinate as well in thick forest litter, but prefer bare mineral soil. Thus, pitch pine needs fire to regenerate abundantly. Actually, the pine probably evolved in these ways in order to cope with fire. Whatever the case, prescribed burning, like wildfire, can cause serntinous cones to release seed as it burns off surface litter and exposes a seedbed of mineral soil for that seed to take root and grow. Therefore, if controlled burning is done right before or after a timber sale, it will assist in the natural regeneration of pitch pine,

Another advantage of prescribed burning is the very reason it has been a springtime ritual in the southern Gulf states For centuries. Burning off the litter layer causes the Forest to "green up, and thus attract more wildlife. Most white-tailed deer in the Pine Barrens have been found to be significantly smaller and less robust than those in the northern parts of the state. The effects of prescribed burning could improve this situation by providing more food to the deer in the Pinelands.

Of course, providing a suitable habitat for one species of wildlife may reduce others. Burning certain sections of woods at different times, however, will create a variety of habitats and ecotones (the edges of burned and unburned areas) where an abundance of wildlife species can exist.

The disadvantages of prescribed burning, though few, must also be mentioned. The greatest drawback is the appearance of the woodland right after it's burned. Although the blackness won't harm the trees and will disappear in a few months, the forest will assume a darker appearance for the first few weeks. Also, if the litter layer is thick, the burning may have to be repeated every three to five years. Priorities must also be established; even though it's more economical to burn 50 acres or more at a time, smaller patches are most helpful if wildlife diversification is the primary goal.

Although prescribed burning has many benefits, it is not something a landowner can do on his own. First of all, the burning must be recommended by a forester or forest fire specialist. Since open burning is not allowed without a plan in New Jersey, the landowner must obtain the proper permit. Forestry Services will hire the fire crews, plow the fire lines, and supervise the burning. They are careful to choose a day on which the fire will be easy to control. Winter burning is generally done between October 1 and March 15 on a day when the temperature is 0- 60 F. and there is a steady wind of no more than 10 mph blowing in a direction perpendicular to that of the fire lines. Thus, the fire lines must also be carefully planned and are plowed 300 to 400 feet apart at approximately a right angle to what the winter wind usually blows. Relative humidity should be 30-50%. Fuel moisture should be no more than 10% which means that there should be no snow or ice on the ground. (The best time for summer burning, done less frequently and to control hardwoods, is between June and October. All these factors are important guidelines to creating a low, creeping fire that will burn readily but can be easily controlled.

Currently, the cost of burning is four to five dollars per - acre. Under the Forestry Incentives Program, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) will pay up to 75% of this, if the landowner fills out the proper forms in a local ASCS office. Therefore, prescribed burning costs only about a dollar an acre, which is a small price to pay for all the protection it affords

As recently as 50 years ago, only a few foresters and firefighters realized that fire, like rain, can be both good and bad. Today, fire has become one of the forester's best tools in south Jersey. It is used there as a fire prevention tool, as a forest management tool, and as a wildlife management tool. There's still much to be learned about fire in the Pine Barrens.

However, the foresters there and researchers throughout the state have thus far done an outstanding job of adapting what is known about fire to the uniqueness of the Pinelands ecosystem.