Forest Service gearing up for 2014 prescribed fire season

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up for the 2014 prescribed fire season and says it plans to burn nearly 100,000 acres in the Apalachicola National Forest next year.

Controlled burns are one of the ways foresters keep forests healthy and prevent wildfires.

Plants and animals native to the longleaf pine habitats in the Apalachicola National Forest depend on natural fire cycles, which are mimicked through the use of prescribed fires to balance habitat and food sources. 

Prescribed burning is also one of the most effective land management tools used in preventing the outbreak and spread of wildfires.

Care is taken to minimize smoke impacts to highways, towns and residential areas during burns.

The National Forests in Florida are among those leading the nation in prescribed fire. 

Prescribed burning is conducted every three to five years in which approximately 100,000 – 175,000 acres of national forest lands are burned annually in the Ocala, Osceola and Apalachicola National Forests.

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