According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, on March 23, Forest Rangers Gallagher and Scott, staff from The Nature Conservancy, and volunteers from the Long Island interagency fire crew conducted a prescribed fire on more than 100 acres in the Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island in Suffolk County, NY.
Prescribed fire is an important land management tool used to improve habitat for lands and wildlife. These burns are regulated by law and regulation and require technical expertise to conduct safely.
Controlled burns help prevent the spread of invasive species, and in some areas, prescribed fire is used to reduce the buildup of wood, timber litter, and other fuel to reduce the potential for wildfires that threaten public safety and critical infrastructure.
DEC carefully and responsibly implements prescribed fires only when conditions are favorable to meet land management goals, including while the statewide annual ban on residential brush burning is in effect.