Prescribed Fires Burn Hazardous Fuels at Supawna Meadows
Grasslands Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge staff
recently used prescribed fire to control hazardous fuels and
reduce the chances of wildfire on refuge land. Fire control
officers burned two areas on the refuge February 19th. Refuge
managers targeted one burn area because it was covered mostly by
phragmites, a tall, reed-like non-native plant that has invaded
marshlands and become a fire hazard. The burn will improve
wildlife habitat by returning nutrients to the soil as well as
open the marsh to native vegetation. The project was supported
by employees and equipment from the New Jersey Forest Fire
Service, five national wildlife refuges, the Northeast Region's
Zone Fire Program and the Service's New Jersey field office.
Fish and Wildlife Service staff came from Blackwater, Supawna
Meadows, Great Swamp, Wallkill, and Cape May refuges to work on
the project. back to headlines Back to News Archives