Last March, four wildfires in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens consumed an estimated 600 acres of habitat. The fires nearly approached Quogue Wildlife Refuge property before they could be contained; causing a billowing cloud of black smoke to darken the usually tranquil view of Old Ice Pond from the Charles Banks Belt Nature Center.
Although from a human perspective we may view forest fires as merely dangerous and destructive, the implications of the fires on the Pine Barrens ecosystem are the opposite. They bring rejuvenation and rebirth for the forest. Like a phoenix, the sprawling Pine Barrens of NY and NJ rise from their ashes restored. Pitch pines (Pinus rigida), the predominant tree species of the Barrens, as well as numerous other species of Pine Barrens plants, are pyrophilic or “fire-loving”. As a fire-maintained forest, the Pine Barrens relies on fire to break down duff and dead plant material, returning vital nutrients to the soil, and freeing up the building blocks of life for future use. Additionally, fires help encourage succession and fight the establishment of monocultures of more quickly growing plants that could otherwise disrupt and take over an ecosystem.
To survive these necessary fires, the flora and fauna of the Pine Barrens have adapted. Among the adaptations that make the pitch pine so well suited to survive and benefit from fire are their fire-retardant bark, deep roots to shelter from high surface temperatures, serotinous cones that only open to release their seeds under extreme heat, and basal growth nodes that quickly spring to life after the fires pass. Undergrowth plants including inkberry, bayberry, and highbush blueberry, as well as the needles of the pitch pines, also contain highly flammable oils to encourage the spread of fire.
As for the creatures of the forest fires, though not all will survive, many species have fortunately adapted to flee the fire or outlast the flames in burrows underground. Birds, deer and many other mammals can capably escape the flames, while many other smaller or slower creatures, including insects, amphibians, reptiles and smaller mammals, hide where the fire can’t reach them: underground, insulated by the sandy soil from the fire’s intense heat.
While fire is a friend to the Pine Barrens, humans may not embrace periodic burns. To avoid them, forest fire suppression techniques have been used in the Pine Barrens since the 19th century. These techniques may include creating fire breaks, applying water to trees and shrubs, prescribed burns and fire smothering. Though these solutions stave off danger in the short-term, the long-term ramifications of these methods can be disastrous.
Natural periodic Pine Barrens fires tend to occur every few decades, and are often low intensity ground fires that simultaneously use fire debris to fuel themselves while also restricting the buildup that could feed higher intensity, more destructive canopy fires which are more difficult to control. Periodic fires also help to foster a more open forest with sparser tree density; importantly mitigating damage from invasive disease and pest infestations. One particularly devastating example is that of the Southern Pine Beetle, which is believed to have impacted approximately 80% of the pitch pines on Long Island since their arrival in our area in 2014.
Fires in the Pine Barrens have occurred regularly in our area for thousands of years. As always, it is our job as stewards of our world to coexist with, as opposed to dominate, the creatures and habitats of planet Earth. Rather than simply fearing fire, we can choose to understand and respect its ecological purpose.
by Jake Kommer