DEC Forest Rangers Week in Review: Prescribed Fires and Wilderness Rescues

April 17, 2026

DEC Forest Rangers - Week in Review

Recent Statewide Forest Ranger Actions

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other State agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from across New York State.

In 2025, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 362 search and rescue missions, extinguished 202 wildfires covering 840 acres, participated in 68 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate 1,649 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in more than 1,100 tickets and arrests. Also in 2025, 41 Forest Rangers were deployed to fire assignments in 10 different states.

“Our Forest Rangers are elite law enforcement leaders who put their lives on the line when they respond to a search and rescue, wildland fire, or State land violation,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “We’re fortunate to have them patrolling State lands and keeping people safe. Their expertise and professionalism are valuable assets, not only in New York, but around the country wherever emergencies arise.”

City of Albany and Towns of Cameron, Guilderland, Riverhead, Shelter Island, and Smithville
Albany, Chenango, Steuben, and Suffolk Counties
Prescribed Fires: On April 7, 8 and 9, six Rangers joined staff from DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests and the Central Pine Barrens Commission to conduct controlled burns of 30.9 acres of the Otis Pike Pine Barrens State Forest in Riverhead. The crew burned six acres of phragmites, marking the first time phragmites were burned on DEC-owned lands. This work is an important step in long-term habitat improvement with the goal of restoring wetland diversity for native species, including migratory birds and salamanders.

On April 8, one Ranger joined staff from DEC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Albany Pine Bush staff to conduct a controlled burn of 11.8 acres of the Albany Pine Bush in Albany.

On April 8 and 9, five Rangers joined DEC staff from the Division of Lands and Forests and other volunteers to conduct controlled burns of 104 acres of Long Pond State Forest in Smithville.

On April 8, 9, and 10, eight Rangers joined staff from DEC’s Divisions of Lands and Forests and Fish and Wildlife, and New York State Fire Wardens to conduct controlled burns of 50.8 acres in Cameron Mills State Forest in Cameron.

On April 10, eight Rangers joined staff from DEC’s Divisions of Lands and Forests and Fish and Wildlife, and The Nature Conservancy to conduct a controlled burn of 243 acres of the Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island.

On April 12, one Forest Ranger joined staff from DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Albany Pine Bush to conduct a controlled burn of 48.1 acres of the Pine Bush in Guilderland.

Prescribed fire is an important land management tool used to improve habitat for lands and wildlife.

DEC recently announced the beginning of prescribed fire season. These burns are regulated by law and regulation and require technical expertise to safely conduct. Controlled burns help prevent the spread of invasive species, and in some areas, prescribed fire is used to reduce the buildup of wood, timber litter, and other fuel to reduce the potential for wildfires that threaten public safety and critical infrastructure. DEC carefully and responsibly implements prescribed fires only when conditions are favorable to meet land management goals.

Prescribed burn in Albany

Prescribed burn crew in Albany

Prescribed burn in Cameron

Prescribed burn crew in Cameron

Prescribed burn in Riverhead

Prescribed burn in Riverhead

Prescribed burn on Shelter Island

Prescribed burn on Shelter Island

Prescribed burn in Smithville

Prescribed burn in Smithville

Village of Unadilla
Otsego County
Wildland Fire: On April 9 at 3:04 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a wildland fire on private land. The fire was started by downed power lines and spread to leaf litter. The Franklin, Sidney, and Unadilla Fire Departments and Rangers contained the 4.1-acre fire by 5:11 p.m.

Fire crews at Unadilla Fire

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wildland Fire: On April 9 at 4:45 p.m., Washington County 911 called Ray Brook Dispatch for Forest Ranger assistance with a brush fire on private land. A tree fell on a powerline causing a 0.5-acre grass fire. By 6:45 p.m., firefighters declared the fire out.

Town of Northumberland
Saratoga County
Wildland Fire: On April 9 at 5:40 p.m., the Gansevoort Fire Chief requested Forest Ranger assistance with a brush fire. Two Rangers assisted Schuylerville, South Glens Falls, and Victory Mills Fire Departments with fire suppression efforts. By 7:45 p.m., fire crews contained the 4.3-acre fire.

Town of Delhi
Delaware County
Wildland Fire: On April 10 at 3:38 p.m., Delaware County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance with a fire on Elk Creek Road. The 0.1-acre fire was caused by debris burning. A Ranger issued a ticket to the landowner for violating the burn ban.

DEC’s statewide residential brush burning prohibition began on March 16 and continues through May 14.

Village of Naples
Ontario County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 10 at 6:34 p.m., Ontario County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hiker who fell down a gully in High Tor Wildlife Management Area. Ranger Miller worked with Ontario and Yates County Rope Rescue Teams to raise the 30-year-old from Rochester 50 feet out of the gully. The hiker was checked out by roadside Emergency Medical Technicians. Resources were clear at 9:39 p.m.

Gully in Naples

Hamlet of Raquette Lake
Hamilton County
Wilderness Search: On April 12 at 8 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a lost hiker off trail behind the Burketown neighborhood. Forest Rangers Cleinman, Miller, and Scott responded. At 9:15 p.m., Ranger Miller made voice contact with the 55-year-old and located them deep in a swamp, getting cold in wet jeans. Ranger Miller walked the subject out of the woods. Resources were clear at 10 p.m.

Town of North Elba
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 13 at 12:15 p.m., three Forest Rangers responded to a call to assist three hikers off trail on Haystack Mountain. The hikers said they were lost and unprepared for the weather. Rangers called and using mapping software, led them back onto the trail and then met them to provide food and water.

Rangers suggest checking the weather before hiking. The temperature and conditions at the top of a mountain are often very different from what it is at the trailhead.

Haystack Mountain Rescue

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s “ Hike Smart NY,” “ Adirondack Backcountry,” and “ Catskill Backcountry Information ” webpages for more information.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on State lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.

Contact for this Page Jeff Wernick
Press Office
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Albany, NY 12233

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