Oceanville, NJ – Residents in South Jersey might smell smoke over the next few days and police say it’s because of a prescribed burn at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Prescribed burns are conducted each spring to burn dead leaves and underbrush to starve forests of fuel during the hot summer months considered to be forest fire season.
“Prescribed fires will be conducted in the Oceanville, NJ area of Forsythe Refuge starting Thursday, March 9th. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fire Crews will work with the NJ Forest Fire Service to safely conduct the burns, which may extend additional days as safe weather and conditions permit. The Wildlife Drive and area trails will be closed during the burn to ensure visitor safety,” the Galloway Township Police Department said Thursday, “Prescribed fire is a critical element in habitat management that will help eliminate invasive species in the area and promote native growth. The fire will also remove excessive vegetation and other natural fuels to reduce future wildfire risk.”