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.
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