Westhampton Fire Broke Out in Stand of 'Dwarf Pines' Especially Ripe for Fast-Moving Wildfires - 27 East
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Fire & Emergency / News / Southampton Press / Environment / 2345258

Westhampton Fire Broke Out in Stand of 'Dwarf Pines' Especially Ripe for Fast-Moving Wildfires

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The dwarf pines prevalent in the area of the Pine Barrens that caught fire over the weekend make it much easier for a brush fire to spread quickly than in a pitch pine forest that makes up the bulk of the Pine Barrens. Polly Weigand, an ecologist with the nonprofit Forest Stewards Guild, said that Saturday's fire was a necessary event for the Dwarf Pine Plains that surround Gabreski Airport in Westhampton and that fires would naturally be expected to occur every 10 to 20 years. The area did not burn during the 1995 Sunrise Fire. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The dwarf pines prevalent in the area of the Pine Barrens that caught fire over the weekend make it much easier for a brush fire to spread quickly than in a pitch pine forest that makes up the bulk of the Pine Barrens. Polly Weigand, an ecologist with the nonprofit Forest Stewards Guild, said that Saturday's fire was a necessary event for the Dwarf Pine Plains that surround Gabreski Airport in Westhampton and that fires would naturally be expected to occur every 10 to 20 years. The area did not burn during the 1995 Sunrise Fire. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The dwarf pines prevalent in the area of the Pine Barrens that caught fire over the weekend make it much easier for a brush fire to spread quickly than in a pitch pine forest that makes up the bulk of the Pine Barrens. Polly Weigand, an ecologist with the nonprofit Forest Stewards Guild, said that Saturday's fire was a necessary event for the Dwarf Pine Plains that surround Gabreski Airport in Westhampton and that fires would naturally be expected to occur every 10 to 20 years. The area did not burn during the 1995 Sunrise Fire and the forest floor in the area is rife with combustable material on the ground that makes it likely any fire will spread quickly. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The dwarf pines prevalent in the area of the Pine Barrens that caught fire over the weekend make it much easier for a brush fire to spread quickly than in a pitch pine forest that makes up the bulk of the Pine Barrens. Polly Weigand, an ecologist with the nonprofit Forest Stewards Guild, said that Saturday's fire was a necessary event for the Dwarf Pine Plains that surround Gabreski Airport in Westhampton and that fires would naturally be expected to occur every 10 to 20 years. The area did not burn during the 1995 Sunrise Fire and the forest floor in the area is rife with combustable material on the ground that makes it likely any fire will spread quickly. MICHAEL WRIGHT

authorMichael Wright on Mar 12, 2025
Applause has been thunderous for the work that dozens of largely volunteer fire departments did in containing and extinguishing the fire that swept across 4 square miles of Pine Barrens... more

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