Controlled Burn on Shawangunk Ridge

If you saw smoke on the way home from work Tuesday, don't be concerned: it's not a repeat of the massive forest fire from Shawangunk Ridge State Forest earlier this year.

A controlled burn was underway Tuesday afternoon. Some 50 acres in the Mohonk Preserve were part of the controlled burn, according to the Times-Herald Record.

A controlled burn plan was developed after a 2008 fire burned some 3,100 acres in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve and on private land, the Times-Herald Record reports.

Controlled burns are designed to clear areas of flammable debris that could potentially serve as fuel for a wildfire, according to the Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership.

Controlled burns are typically held in March, April, May, September, October and November. About 440 acres have been burned as part of the controlled burn plan for the area, the Times Herald Record reports.

The May 2015 Shawangunk Ridge State Forest wildfire burned over 2,700 acres in Sullivan and Ulster counties.