Fire has been a part of the Pine Barrens ecosystem since prehistoric times. Repeated cutting and severe wildfire have played a primary role in the development of a forest cover that is considered to be one of the most hazardous wildland fuel types in the nation. Many of the wildfires have been large and devastating; however, owing to the undeveloped nature of the area, the problem, except for an occasional news article, has gone largely unnoticed. But now the character of the Pine Barrens is changing rapidly-it is no longer uninhabited wilderness. Housing developments and retirement communities are converging on the region and it is more intensively used for recreation. As a result, risks to humans in the Pine Barrens have increased significantly along with the likelihood that future fires will involve large acreages often interspersed with structures or other improved property.

The potential for wildfire disaster in the Pine Barrens has already been dramatically illustrated. Large conflagrations occurred in 1930, 1954, 1963, and more recently in 1971 and 1977. The most notable was in 1963, when damage to improved property exceeded $8.5 million. When this tragedy occurred, the region was still largely undeveloped. With the increased development of the last 17 years and the tremendous escalation of property values, the results of a similar series of fires today would be staggering, but this is the threat of disaster that residents of the Pine Barrens face. Two essential elements are already present: highly hazardous wildland fuels and numerous human ignition sources, with weather as the critical variable. Thus, conditions need only be similar to April 1963 for a fire disaster to occur.

This article analyzes the fire control problems that increased development are expected to cause and also explores various initiatives for limiting development and reducing the impact of a wildland conflagration.

Fire has long been a factor in the Pine Barrens ecosystem. The Lenape Indians, residents of New Jersey for approximately 10,000 years, burned the woods deliberately in the spring and fall, and accidentally at other times. These burns were used to drive game, improve visibility, facilitate travel, drive away insects and snakes, increase the supply of grass seeds and berries, and for offense and defense in war. The predominance of pine in the early history of South Jersey has been attributed to these fires.

The large mature pine trees that greeted the early settlers were soon removed to support the early industries of the region. The combination of relentless cutting and increased frequency of fire resulted in less productive scrubby pine types that dominate the area today. These scrub pines now comprise one of the most hazardous wildland fuel types in the nation.

The driest spring on record in New Jersey culminated on the weekend of April 20-21, 1963, when a series of wildfires burned 183,000 acres of woodland, consumed 186 homes and 197 outbuildings, and was responsible for the loss of seven lives. Thousands were forced to flee and entire communities were evacuated. As already noted, more than $8.5 million in improved property was destroyed.

More recently, 15,000 acres, eight homes, and a number of outbuildings were destroyed in the South Jersey region on March 31, 1977. Later that year, four firemen were killed while fighting a 2300-acre blaze on the Bass River State Forest.

However, developers continue to build in some of the region's most hazardous areas with little or no regard to the dangers of wildfire. The most dramatic example of this can be seen in the vicinity of Whiting in Ocean County, site of numerous residential and retirement developments.

In some cases, lot clearing amounts to no more than a swath cut by a bulldozer with little room for the structure. Forest fuels are dangerously close, and in certain instances, are in direct contact with buildings.

A number of dwellings are constructed of flammable building materials such as wood siding and cedar shakes, which can ignite readily in an intense wildfire. The problem is compounded because fire fighters cannot use normal wildland fire suppression tactics when structures are involved. The immediate protection of life and improved property would become a primary concern and control of the wildfire would be delayed. As problem fires gain in size and build in momentum, overall damage to improved property would be greatly magnified. Firefighters may have to sacrifice some structures in order to reduce total damage, placing the fire boss in an unenviable position.

Furthermore, State Forest Fire Control initial attack vehicles are not designed to control structural fires nor are personnel properly trained in structural firefighting tactics.

Many of the rural volunteer fire companies located in or adjacent to the Pinelands Barrens are poorly equipped and undertrained and would not be able to respond effectively to multidwelling fires involved in a wildland conflagration.

The combination of urban development and wildland fuels that has led to disastrous fires in California is similar to the situation that is developing in the Pine Barrens. Both areas are included in the same fuel classification (Fuel Model B) of the National Fire Danger Rating System, with terrain being the only major difference between the two areas. California is not the only state to experience a wildland fire disaster involving improved property;. Wisconsin and Montana have recently experienced similar problems.

Considering the experience of other states, and the recent conflagrations that have already occurred in South Jersey, the question, "Are the Pine Barrens being primed for a major fire disaster?" must be asked. Statistics and past history support the premise that it is only a matter of time before such a calamity occurs.

HOW do we prepare for the inevitable?

First, a number of steps can be taken to reduce the impact of future wildfires in the Pine Barrens.

Several attempts have been made at the state and federal levels to limit development in and preserve certain portions of the Pine Barrens. They are as follows:

The Pinelands Environmental Council, created by an act of the State Legislature in January, 1972, represented the first coordinated effort to save and protect the resources of the Pine Barrens. The Council had the authority to review any project that would destroy or substantially impair significant historic or recreational resources or bring about a major change in the appearance of the region.

One of the Council's primary tasks was to develop a comprehensive plan for preservation, enhancement, and development of the area's resources. Owing to a variety of problems both political and economic, its work was never completed.

A study was prepared by Rutgers University at the request of the National Park Service, purportedly to survey the New Jersey Pine Barrens as a possible candidate for incorporation into the National Park System. An outer protection zone and inner preserve are proposed and plans for both federal and state control are outlined.

In addition, Governor Byrne created the Pinelands Review Committee by Executive Order 56, on May 28, 1977. The purpose of the committee was to develop a comprehensive land use plan for the Pine Barrens. The plan proposed an outer protection zone and an inner preserve similar to those of the Rutgers Study.

Based on the recommendations of the Pinelands Review Committee and federal legislation, the Governor issued Executive Order 71 on February 8, 1979, imposing a building moratorium on 1500 square miles of Pine Barrens territory. This was done to allow sufficient time for the planning process without further degradation of the Pine Barrens ecosystem.

The Pinelands Protection Act became law on June 28, 1979. The Act established the Pinelands Commission and gave legal status to the building moratorium.

The Pinelands Commission will carry on the work begun by the Pinelands Review Committee and complete the land use plan for the Pine Barrens. The Commission will determine the type and amount of human development that the Pine Barrens can sustain while still maintaining its overall ecological values.

Land acquisition by the state or federal government is another method of controlling development in areas considered critical to saving the Pine Barrens. Both federal and state initiatives have been made to purchase these areas.

In both the Rutgers study and Pinelands Review Committee Management Plan, the importance of fire in shaping and maintaining the Pine Barrens is emphasized. The need for prescribed burning and harvesting on a continuing basis is also stressed. However, no reference is made to the danger that wildfire poses to current and future development.

In short, the dangers of wildfire have been generally overlooked by all but fire control personnel. There is, it seems, a tendency for people to forget, especially if it has been a few years since the last major fire season. Many individuals moving into the Pine Barrens region have never seen a wildfire and planners and developers ignore its potential when planning, locating, or building a development.

Better wildfire education programs are needed. Currently, a Wildfire Hazard Inspection Form has been prepared by the State Bureau of Forest Fire Management and distributed to residents as part of a contractor program. A brochure outlining fire danger to residents of wooded areas will be prepared and accompany the Hazard Inspection Form. Still, additional programs are needed to reach planners and developers.

Until recently fire standards could be enforced only through the enactment of ordinances and codes by local authorities. Unfortunately, very little was done in regard to wildfire protection.

The Pinelands Environmental Council made the first positive effort to incorporate fire features into subdivisions and developments. Plans were submitted to the State Bureau of Forest Fire Management for review and fire safety recommendations. Some recommendations were adhered to, but many were ignored.

Presently the Pinelands Commission has requested the Bureau of Forest Fire Management to develop a Fire Management Plan for the Pine Barrens. This plan outlines fire management policy and practices to be applied to Pinelands management. Wildfire hazard areas have been designated. A section of the plan outlines fire safety standards for subdivisions and developments. Specific recommendations for standards are made in the following areas: project planning, access roads, water supply, vegetative manipulation, and structural considerations.

The standards are based on wildland hazard classification system that is tied to the rate of spread and resistance to control of native vegetation. There is a progressive scale for increasing the standards as the hazard becomes more severe. The standards will provide guidelines to municipalities for the enactment of ordinances and building codes necessary to make wildland subdivisions and developments as fire safe as possible.

The highly acid soils of the Pine Barrens lack earthworms and other organisms that would normally incorporate leaves and pine needles into the soil. Consequently, there is a rapid buildup of litter. Unless this fuel accumulation is periodically reduced, under controlled conditions, intense fires result which kill or severely damage the overstory. The vertical continuity of fuels enables flames to spread from the ground into treetops, resulting in dangerous and destructive crown fires. Prescribed burning has the greatest potential for large-scale fuel modification and hazard reduction in the Pine Barrens. Through periodic use of fire at three to five-year intervals, horizontal and lateral fuel continuity can be broken and its accumulation reduced.

Prescribed burning has been used to some extent as a means of establishing and maintaining fire breaks around selected developments and other high-value areas. This practice should be expanded to other developments to increase fire safety.

Because of the vegetative composition and fire history of the Pine Barrens, the use of prescribed fire remains the most valuable and environmentally sound fuel management tool available. It will be an important element of the state's Fire Management Plan.

So, now you have the problem and some of the possible solutions. Unless we adhere to a prescribed set of strategic plans in this impending war (and yes it will be a war of sorts) then we may possibly have a future holocaust in the Pine Barrens far surpassing the fires of California.