The controlled burn aims to reduce the risks of a wildfire.
UNION TWP. -- The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service held a controlled burn at Spruce Run Recreation Area on Saturday.
Saturday's exercise is part of a statewide prescribed burning program that reduces wildfire risks by burning buildup of undergrowth, fallen trees and branches, leaves and other debris on forest floors, the state Department of Environmental Protection explains on its website.
Prescribed burns are generally conducted during the mid- to late-winter months to minimize the amount of smoke produced, and when weather conditions tend to be safer for controlled fires. They help reduce forest fire risks prior to entering the prime wildfire season, which in New Jersey generally begins in the early spring.
Brush fire threatened Tewskbury houses
"The state's prescribed burning program, conducted only under exacting conditions and by highly trained personnel, is an important management tool in protecting lives and property, while providing an important additional benefit of keeping our wildlands ecologically healthy," said Richard Boornazian, DEP's Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources.
People can protect their property from brush fires by creating what the New Jersey Forest Fire Service calls "defensible space," a "fuel break" that is trimmed of the materials that can help spread a brush or forest fire.
The Fire Service recommends a perimeter of 30 to 100 feet, depending on the type of trees, shrubs, smaller plants and ground cover growing in a neighborhood.
The Forest Fire Service, part of the DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry, expects to do controlled burns on between 10,000 and 20,000 acres of forests and grasslands this season, depending on weather conditions. These prescribed fires do not reach the canopy of the forest or cause significant loss of mature trees as wildfires do.
For more information on wildfires in New Jersey and a list of contact numbers for regional Forest Fire Service offices, visit njwildfire.org.
Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook.