Spring is peak wildfire season in New Jersey — mid-March through May. Because of the warmer weather and increased winds, the Forest Fire Service is especially alert to fires during this time.

Most wildfires in the Garden State are caused by humans. In fact, “Ninety-nine percent of wildfires in New Jersey are caused by humans through accidents, carelessness, negligence and even arson,” said Greg McLaughlin, administrator and chief of the Forest Fire Service.  

Reports of wildfires have been coming in even earlier than usual this year. Since the start of 2023, the Forest Fire Service has responded to 315 wildfires which have burned just under 1,000 acres. The largest was the Governors Branch Wildfire which sparked on March 7 in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area in Little Egg Harbor, Ocean County. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, that fire burned 418 acres of forest: “The area where the fire burned had previously been treated with prescribed fire in 2018 and, therefore, did not burn as intensely as it could have. The cause of the Governors Branch fire remains under investigation.” 

January and February marked the mildest two months of winter on record in the state. A lack of rain and snow has kept ground forest fuels — such as pine needles — from compacting, leaving areas more vulnerable to wildfires.