Quote:
Originally Posted by LoriNJ
NJmmadude said it all... what can I add to that ode? 
As sad as forest fires are, they are absolutely essential to the health of the Pine Barrens ecosystem, as NJmmadude said. And even when thousands of acres burn, they don't come close to burning down the entire 1.1 million acres of the Barrens. Thank goodness! I enjoy walking through a burn site about a year or two later. It is just amazing how much growth there is, among the charred skeletons of trees. Unfortunately, in such a crowded state as NJ, the general feeling is that fires need to be stopped in their tracks or burned in a "controlled" way. Neither imitates the natural cycle of the Barrens. Of course, sometimes fires are intentionally set, and that is a bad thing, IMO. From what I understand, the debate about fires goes on in the West as well, for many of the same reasons.
If you ever get a chance, TerraDown, come for a hike in the Pine Barrens. You can start someplace like Batsto (the site of an old iron furnace) and take it from there. |
Many people just aren't educated about this, and for those people FIRE = BAD, and SMOKE = POLLUTION. It's the same way down here with the Longleaf pine ecosystem, and when forestry conducts controlled burns people complain about the smoke smell, pollution, yadda, yadda.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
