Rolling Stone magazine had an excellent article this week about the Pine Barrens in New Jersey and how they have the greatest potential for a forest fire catastrophe for anywhere in the United States.  Most people think of New Jersey as an urban area and don’t realize how much of the southern part of the state is covered with forests.  These forests are overgrown and thick with flammable fuel since natural forest fires have been suppressed there for decades.  If you are interested in forest health and wildfires, you will want to read this.

Mullica River, Pinelands National Preserve, New Jersey.  Photo © Brian W. Schaller / License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Mullica River, Pinelands National Preserve, New Jersey. Photo © Brian W. Schaller / License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0