The Blog Post That Isn’t a Blog Post
Not long ago there was a major wildfire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Pine Barrens forest fires are part of the ecology so there is do doubt that the Pines will recover, sort of. This wildfire was different. It was big, covering over 13,500 acres in some well travelled areas of the Pine Barrens. In addition to its size, this Pine Barrens forest fire also burned some very environmentally sensitive areas, like the bogs and savannas, where many rare plants and wildflowers grow. While these areas will also recover, no one is sure exactly what will happen and what will grow.
I have been photographing as much of the effects of this Pine Barrens forest fire as possible. It will be an ongoing photography project. Not only is there a need to photograph the damage, but it is even more important to photograph how the forest areas recover.
Because this is an ongoing project, I created a web gallery dedicated to the Pine Barrens Wildfire of 2022. Hopefully it is the only big Pine Barrens forest fire we get for a long time.This blog post is a way to introduce the Pine Barrens forest fire gallery. The photographs posted here are just a small sampling of what is in the gallery now. Please follow the link to see all the images and check back to see the other photographs that will be posted as I photograph the recovery of the forest.
Here is the web gallery:
https://richardlewisphotography.com/galleries/new-jersey-pinelands/pinelands-wildfire/
A few photographs from this project. There are more in the web gallery.
The World In Green and Brown by Richard Lewis 2022
Burned Pitcher Plant by Richard Lewis 2022
Hope Springs Eternal 1 by Richard Lewis 2022
Burned Cedars 1 by Richard Lewis 2022
Burn Through The Mist by Richard Lewis 2022
It’s been about a month since the fire and already some areas of the forest are recovering. More photographs will be posted in the web gallery as I finish them. As always, please feel free to comment below about this project.
Thanks!
It’s my understanding that some of the pine trees have cones that only open after a fire event.
As always, some beautiful shots!!!
That is true for what is called the upland forests where most of the pine trees are. Other areas that are not as fire dependent were also burned. Their fate isn’t as well known which is why I started this project.
Maybe this is good for the blue gentians. I will see you at one of the workshops.
As bing as this fire was, it didn’t affect any of the gentian habitats. Who knows, maybe a few new ones will pop up.
Beautiful work from a not so beautiful cause…your photos literally speak a thousand words.
Thanks Rich for documenting and archiving this Phoenix Rising! Be well!
Thanks Kathy. The Phoenix will rise in different ways and it will be interesting to see it happen.
I’m curious about the cedar swamp, bog and savanna areas too. I know after the last big fire an area was opened up and the following spring was loaded with slender blue flags. Time will tell.
As always your photos are amazing and I’m looking foward to the follow up.
Thanks Joyce. I appreciate the compliment. The bogs and savannas will be a surprise. Something will happen but no one knows exactly what. It depends on what roots were burned and what will germinate now that some of the ground cover was burned off. The cedar swamps are another thing. Some of the cedars I saw were completely burned to the roots and are dead. They will eventually fall down which will create an open area for something to grow. That will take years to sort itself out.