Fire is a beneficial land management tool in Florida.

Historically, fire was part of the natural cycle in Florida. Accounts recorded by pioneers detail the cycle of flood-drought-fire.

Since the establishment of the Central & Southern Florida Project in 1948, water managers have tamed most of the flooding. But in the dry season wildfires are still common in the undeveloped areas, often from lightning strikes. If the fires do not threaten any structures or roads, Florida Forest Service (FFS) seeks to control rather than extinguish the blazes.

FFS also uses fire as a tool. “Prescribed fire is one of the most versatile and cost-effective tools land managers use,” according to the FFS website. “Prescribed fire is used to reduce hazardous fuel buildups, thus providing increased protection to people, their homes and the forest. Other uses include disease control in young pines, wildlife habitat improvement, range management, preservation of endangered plant and animal species and the maintenance of fire-dependent ecosystems.”

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS) Living Green website explains fire is important to the natural ecology.

The website explains: “Several natural communities are dependent on fire to remain healthy. These natural communities (such as scrub and pine flatwoods, and the many animal species that use them) depend on fire for their continued existence.

“Fire is important for the survival of many plants and animals. For example, the gopher tortoise requires periodic fire to maintain its habitat quality. Some pine trees like the Ocala sand pine have cones that remain closed until fire sweeps through. Fire also promotes flower, seed, and fruit production in many plants, providing food for wildlife.”

Every year, the FFS issues permits for prescribed fires on about 2.1 million acres. Less than half of those burns are for agricultural purposes. For example, prescribed burns are used by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to burn off dead brush in areas like the marshes around Lake Okeechobee. Burns are also used to prepare land for development.

Sugar cane fields are burned prior to the harvest to remove unneeded leaves and remove the highly flammable leaf trash that accumulates in the fields. Sugar cane burning accounts for less than 20% of controlled burns in the state each year. These burns are highly controlled. FFS issues cane burning permits the day of the burn, for four-hour windows, for specific fields, based on the wind conditions. Burning a 40 acre field takes about 20 minutes.

While wildfires account for less than 3% of the fires in the state, smoke from wildfires is much more likely to cause problems along roadways and in populated areas.

Current wildfire information is available on the FFS website at:

 https://ffs.firesponse.com/public/

Information on controlled burns is available online at:

https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire/Prescribed-Fire

For the map of controlled burns go to Active Burn Authorizations Dashboard