The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Forest Fire Service is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to protect properties adjacent to military installations from the increased risks of wildfire due to a changing climate. These wildfire resilience projects are funded through the DOD’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Challenge Program. REPI facilitates long-term partnerships to improve resilience to climate change, preserve wildlife habitats and natural resources, and promote sustainable land uses near military installations and ranges.
Since 2020, the DEP’s Forest Fire Service has received nearly $1.7M from the REPI Challenge Program in support of wildfire resilience projects. These projects have created or maintained 33 miles of firebreaks and fuel breaks in the vicinity of two military installations – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the Warren Grove Air to Ground Range – in the heart of the New Jersey Pinelands, a region especially prone to wildfires due to the dominant tree and plant species and porous sandy soil found there.
While REPI funding has assisted with the creation of fuel breaks and firebreaks, the Murphy Administration last year supplemented the Forest Fire Service’s FY24 budget with $3M for new equipment and staff following the most active year in New Jersey for major wildfires in more than 20 years.
