SCOTT FALLON / NORTHJERSEY.COM – Wildfire season in New Jersey typically begins in late March or early April, when low humidity and persistent wind combine to propel flames in the Meadowlands, the Highlands, the Pinelands and anywhere else large amounts of dry vegetation exist.

But fire officials said Thursday that they are seeing the season start earlier and extend later in recent years as New Jersey has experienced some of its warmest winters on record …