A massive response to wildfires burning across the Hudson Valley and into New Jersey continued on Tuesday, and Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide burn ban as crews from across the state battled the fires.

The New York State Forest Service responded to less than 10 wildfires last year on 18 acres. Fire officials say this year, more than 60 fires have consumed more than 3,000 acres across New York state.

“The frequency of severe weather is increasing, and the amplitude of that severe weather is increasing,” said Albany Pine Bush Conservation Director Neil Gifford. “Right now, we’ve been in a severe period of drought.”

What You Need To Know

  • The New York State Forest Service responded to 10 wildfires last year on 18 acres, but 61 fires have consumed more than 3,000 this year

  •  The fall has been abnormally dry – and windy – for many areas across the state

  • Conservationists say as favorable conditions for wildfire become the norm, more prescribed burning is paramount

And it's fueled multiple fires this fall across the state, and experts say all signs point to this becoming the norm.

“If we’re not adequately able to manage these forests, these wild land resources, we’re likely going to see more, not less, wildfires in the future,” Gifford said.

Management includes more prescribed burning. The intentional use of fire on the land has been a normal practice at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve since 1991.

“What it does do is reduce the fuels so if and when a wildfire does occur, there is a lot less fuel on the ground to support the fire,” Gifford explained. “It's, therefore, that much easier to put out.”

But wildfires typically involve hard-to-access remote areas.

“Fairly steep, it gets steeper when you go over that ridge, and it’s also super rocky,” Bryan Gallagher told reporters Monday while describing the terrain involved with a wildfire near Greenwood Lake. “Most of our effort is going to be hand line, people hiking in with hand tools to make the fire lines we need to try and contain this.”

That makes more prescribed burning a hard sell.

“The training and the time it takes to get trained to be able to do it, it takes a long time,” Gifford said. “It takes a long time to get trained. You’ve got to start small.”

But with more than 3,400 acres of evidence, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve team will continue to advocate for more prescribed burning and are actively working with partners on the state and local level on preparedness.

“Sharing what we’ve been able to do here is one of the many great attributes of having this preserve,” Gifford said.