Florida on Fire: Prescribed Fire in the Sunshine State

In this episode, we explore fire in Florida, what ecosystems burn and why, the history and current state of fire in Florida, and some neat adaptations found in plants and animals of fire-depended ecosystems.
Learn more:

Fire and Habitat - https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/archive/hot_topics/environment/fire_habitat.shtml
Effects of Fire on Florida’s Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/uw132
Wind and Trees: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes (Mentioned by Shannon) - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR173

How You Can Help:
Consider Creating a Firewise Landscape -
These documents outline actions homeowners can take to better prepare their landscape for a possible wildfire:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR076
https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/For-Communities/Firewise-USA/Create-Defensible-Space-Around-Homes
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR334
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR147
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR151

Support Prescribed Burning Programs –
These resources outline prescribed burning efforts throughout Florida:

https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire/Prescribed-Fire
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/habitat/prescribed-fire/

Sources for this Episode:

Gopher Frogs, Burrows, and Fire: Interactions in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW295
Effects of fire history, tree age, and canopy seed bank size on serotiny of Ocala sand pine (Pinus clausa var. clausa) in Florida scrub - https://www.jstor.org/stable/26477959
Chapter 9 – Ecological Effects - https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/39688/file/pft_chapter_09_ecological_effects.pdf

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!
If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations

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