Prescribed Fire is Vital in Ensuring Forest Health, Reducing Wildfire Risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Erin Gillespie
January 23, 2015	(850) 617-7737 Twitter: @FDACSNews
Prescribed Fire is Vital in Ensuring Forest Health, Reducing Wildfire Risk Technology Assists Landowners in Managing Land through Prescribed Burning TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –The Florida Forest Service will promote the benefits of prescribed fire during Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, Jan. 25-31. Prescribed fire plays a vital role in maintaining the health of Florida’s nearly 17 million acres forestlands and preventing devastating wildfires. “The Florida Forest Service encourages the careful use of prescribed fire throughout Florida,” said Jim Karels, State Forester. “In addition to its vital role in Florida’s ecosystems, prescribed fire helps keep citizens and homes safe by reducing wildfire risk.” The Florida Forest Service is reminding citizens and landowners that the benefits of prescribed fire in Florida are plentiful, and include: ·     Providing improved forage for wildlife and livestock. ·     Returning nutrients to the soil. ·     Helping control certain plant diseases. ·     Reducing the buildup of dry and flammable plant materials. In addition, many of Florida’s plant and animal communities are dependent on the regular occurrence of fire for a healthy existence. Prescribed fires mimic this natural process and return nutrients to the soil, provide better forage for wildlife and livestock, and help control certain plant and tree diseases. The Florida Forest Service oversees the most active prescribed fire program in the country, which includes a unique certified prescribed burn manager program. In an average year, the Florida Forest Service issues 120,000 prescribed burning authorizations. Currently, there are more than 1,600 certified prescribed burn managers in Florida that manage more than 2.3 million acres of agricultural and natural lands annually with prescribed fire. For those interested in adding prescribed fire to their land management practices, the Florida Forest Service has developed two programs to aid those planning prescribed burns. The first is the smoke screening tool, which allows prescribed burners to view a forecasted image of where the smoke from a potential burn will drift and whether or not it will impact a designated smoke sensitive area. The second is the live fuel moisture readings that can help land managers better plan their burns. The Florida Forest Service manages more than 1 million acres of public forest land while protecting 26 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire. For more information about the Florida Forest Service, go towww.FloridaForestService.com. For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visitwww.FreshFromFlorida.com.

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