The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service plans to treat 25,000 acres of land with prescribed burns in 2024 after the most active wildfire season in decades.
A witness told NTSB investigators he saw "a solid light traveling quickly at a steep angle" around the time of the crash. Another described seeing a "giant orange ball" falling into the forest.
National Transportation Safety Board Inspector Todd Gunther said at a Friday briefing that the helicopter was at a shallow angle as it hit trees and came down at a "very high speed."
Officials at Wharton State Forest and the New Jersey State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites are hosting a fire tower climb at the Apple Pie Hill Fire Tower.
As the state gets to work on better defining access and restrictions related to New Jersey's largest state forest, residents are voicing their opposition to more extreme measures such as the permitting or closure of certain routes.