Residents were alarmed by columns of smoke on Sunday that officials later clarified were coming from controlled burns. Watch video
In this 2009 file photo, firefighters from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service conducted a prescribed burn in the Bevan Wildlife Management Area in Millville. It would be natural to conclude that giant plumes of smoke could only be a raging fire.
But don't be alarmed. State officials say the smoke is likely from "controlled burns" -- also known as a "prescribed burns" -- being conducted throughout the state.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service was scheduled to conduct controlled burns on Sunday in South Brunswick at the Delaware and Raritan Canal Park off Route 27 from noon to 5 p.m.
The South Brunswick Police Department said in a statement that the "burn may be visible in parts of the township as well as Princeton, Plainsboro and Franklin.
State forest fire personnel "will be on hand throughout the day to monitor the controlled grass burn," the statement said.
In addition, burns were being done at the Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan and potentially other areas of Monmouth as well as Ocean County and other parts of the state throughout the weekend, according to Larry Hajna, spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Hajna said the forest fire service will be doing more burns in the coming weeks.
Primarily, the burns help prevent future forest fires, and they are especially important with the state's wildfire season approaching, which is typically in mid-March, Hajna said.
They are important, he added, "in managing the ecosystem." Branches, leaves and other debris that accumulates on the forest ground pose a risk of catching fire in the spring. Burns also prevent pests, fungus and disease that can affect trees while also serving as a way to recycle nutrients back into the soil, he said.
But Hajna emphasized that residents should not be alarmed by the smoke.
"We do it under very controlled circumstances," he said.
"They just light the ground fires, and they monitor (them)," he said.
The current weather conditions he noted are optimal for prescribed burns.
"If you see smoke, it is mostly likely not a wildfire; it is more (likely) a controlled burn," Hajna said.
However, residents who are alarmed can contact the New Jersey Forest Fire Service at 609-292-2977.
For more information, visit the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's website at www.njwildfire.org.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.