Prescribed Burns

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Contact Information

Stewardship Department

Phone: 609-303-0706

General Information

The Mercer County Park Commission uses prescribed burning as a management tool on its lands to reduce invasive plant pressure, cycle nutrients into the soil, and benefit overall habitat quality and diversity.

The Mercer County Park Commission works with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to perform prescribed burns, typically between early January and late April, as determined by the Section Forest Fire Warden. Specific conditions must be met in order to burn, including temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction Prescribed burns generally occur over a two-to-three-day period. The Section Warden will determine when the conditions fall within safe range and will notify the Park Commission and appropriate township and emergency response officials with 48-hour notice before the burn will begin. Parks will be closed to the public during the burns. The closure will be posted at all entrances, crossings and trail heads, as well as on the Park Commission website and social media pages.

Prescribed burns at Mercer County properties are managed by NJ Forest Fire Service officials who have undergone rigorous training and are experienced in conducting safe and effective prescribed burns. All appropriate safety measures and precautions will be taken by those performing the burn. While the burn is in progress, and until the Section Warden has deemed the fire out, there will be law enforcement and fire personnel, equipment and vehicles present at the park being burned.

While managing invasive species and promoting habitat regeneration and enhancement is an important component of the burn plan for both Mercer Meadows and Baldpate Mountain, the Park Commission anticipates the burn to have additional benefits such as reducing hazardous fuel loads to prevent unplanned, higher intensity wildfires. Prescribed burns have also been successful in reducing tick and insect pest populations.

For more information on New Jersey state regulations and practices, please click here.

History of Prescribed Burning

Prescribed burning practices are utilized to protect state forestlands. This measure has been in effect in New Jersey since 1928, and this tool has been an effective and economical practice used to suit the ecological needs of our forests.

In 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed “The Prescribed Burn Act,” which expanded acceptable uses of prescribed fire from reducing traditional hazard fuels, to recognizing the benefits of habitat management as well as other forestry and ecological needs. This legislation also made the services of the NJFFS more accessible to local governments.

Useful Links & Research

Fire Ecology Volume 8, Issue 2

North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange: Oak Regeneration with Prescribed Fire

The Use of Fire as a Tool for Controlling Invasive Plants