NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- It's a high-risk time of year for brush fires in the Hudson Valley. The Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership plans to burn up to 60 acres at the Mohonk Reserve Wednesday. The controlled fire is part of a larger plan to carefully reduce the chance of forest fires.

With very little snow this winter, grass, brush, and trees are dryer than usual, putting the region at risk for more serious fires.

Crews hope to avoid a repeat of 2008, when a brush fire burned through 3,100 acres of nearby Minnewaska State Park.