NJ DEP outlines spring wildfire‑season outlook, grants and new fire tower

Officials from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Forest Fire Service laid out preparations for the spring wildfire season during a virtual media briefing, calling for vigilance as conditions shift quickly.

Greg McLaughlin, administrator of Forest and Natural Lands at the DEP, said the spring briefing is meant to strengthen communication with media and the public ahead of incidents. "During a wildfire, things are happening very quickly; minutes and seconds matter," he said.

Why it matters: The DEP said preparations this winter and spring are intended to reduce confusion during incidents, speed resource coordination and keep fires small through improved detection, pre‑suppression work and community risk‑reduction projects.

What the DEP is funding and doing: McLaughlin said the department awarded $90,000 in grants to 22 communities in the high‑risk wildland‑urban interface for projects tied to the Firewise Communities USA program. He described typical uses as creating and maintaining fire breaks, conducting strategic thinnings and mowing to reduce ladder fuels, and home hardening and defensible‑space work around properties.

On prescribed fire and targets: Officials said prescribed burns dropped dramatically after a long 2024 drought; McLaughlin described that reduced year as the lowest treated acres in about 25 years and characterized the treated amount as roughly 4,000 acres in that low year. The agency targets about 20,000 to 25,000 acres a year for prescribed fire and reported roughly 8,600 acres completed so far this year, with additional northern burns dependent on weather.

Detection and infrastructure: McLaughlin highlighted the role of the state’s network of 21 fire towers and announced the opening of a new 133‑foot Veterans Fire Tower in Jackson — the first new tower in 78 years — which the agency said will serve about 500,000 residents and some 200,000 homes in Ocean and Monmouth counties to support faster initial attack and mapping of fires.

Operational posture and recent trends: State Fire Warden Bill Donnelly said the spring season (typically mid‑March through mid‑May) is the state's peak wildfire period and staff levels will be adjusted when humidity drops or winds rise. He urged residents to maintain defensible space and ensure driveways are accessible for emergency vehicles.

Context and recent fires: Donnelly noted the agency has already been active this year and recalled the April 22, 2025 Jones Road wildfire that burned more than 15,000 acres, took 20 days to contain, threatened roughly 1,300 structures, prompted evacuations of more than 7,000 residents and closed major roadways — an example of how conditions can shift rapidly during spring.

Questions from reporters focused on detection tools, leaf‑out impacts and how much of the landscape remains dry despite recent snow and rain. Assistant Commissioner John Cecil explained that while recent precipitation helped surface conditions, groundwater and reservoir levels remained a concern entering winter and vegetation can rapidly draw available moisture, so short runs of dry weather and wind can quickly increase risk.

What’s next: The DEP said it will continue pre‑suppression work, monitor weather closely and coordinate staffing and resources as conditions change; the agency urged the public to follow defensible‑space guidance and monitor DEP and Forest Fire Service updates for incident information.