As part of habitat stewardship activities, prescribed fires were implemented for the first time at Merrill Creek Reservoir (MCR) by NJ Forest Fire Service on March 22, 2025. Prescribed fire, also known as a controlled burn, is the planned and controlled application of fire to land under specific conditions to achieve land management goals.
For MCR, prescribed fire is used as a tool: 1) reduce excess fuel-loads at these areas to be preemptive against the chance of large, destructive wildfire; 2) help with control of invasive non-native exotic vegetation species and allow for native vegetation regeneration via seed bank stimulation by removing years of “duff” buildup from decades long mowing activities; 3) improve critical habitat for wildlife species, and 4) Fire helps to return nutrients to the soil, which plays a vital role in the ecology of the state’s natural system, resetting the ecological clock, ensuring that early stages of succession are occurring and creating opportunities for new plant growth.
Prescribed Fire at MCR -March 22, 2025
Fires on the landscape, whether they are managed prescribed burns or wildfires, also help stimulate new plant growth and reduce competition among existing trees and plants, allowing those that persist to grow bigger. As with anything, different conditions dictate different conservation practices to maintain landscape health and habitat. Throughout NJ, a lack of forest management and fire suppression has often contributed to excessive fuel loads and a thick forest overstory that can impede sunlight to reach the forest floor to stimulate seed germination.
When New Jerseyans think of fire on the landscape, they typically associate it with the NJ Pinelands (Pine Barrens) where fire plays a key role in the pinelands fire adapted ecology. However, fires historically occurred on a more regular basis in North Jersey too. In fact, in Northern New Jersey an example of a tree species that fire plays a role in are the Oaks. According to the NJ State Forest Action Plan (2020), “The oak genus serves an extensive ecological role within the state of New Jersey by colonizing a range of sites, especially those of poor quality with little soil moisture. Additionally, they comprise a significant component of wildlife food production as hard mast (acorns). A critical factor affecting the oak genus includes cultural shifts in land management, in particular, the alteration of fire regimes across the state. Fire is a necessary component for oak species to thrive, as it provides a natural seed bed, reduces competition, and increases the amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor.”
However, fire can’t just be reintroduced to the landscape without careful planning by experienced professionals, other conservation practices also need to be considered. In many instances the land needs to be pretreated before fire can be returned. Pretreating can mean the cutting of trees, removal of underbrush or mowings to create safe burning conditions, and, in many cases, these actions help to accelerate desired land management outcomes.
Merrill Creek Reservoir thanks the NJ Forest Fire Service and our local fire department for assisting with the burns and making sure everything was safe for all. Thank you!