Home » Florida Forest Service Conducting Two Brevard County Prescribed Burns

Florida Forest Service Conducting Two Brevard County Prescribed Burns

By  //  February 1, 2018

affected areas are West end of Eau Gallie, Viera

A burn plan is a written prescription for the prescribed fire including critical elements such as the weather conditions under which the burn will be conducted, number of personnel and duties of each, as well as the type, amount and placement of equipment needed to safely conduct the burn. (Image by Florida Forest Service) 

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — The thick clouds of black smoke in the western Brevard skies are a result of prescribed burns being conducted by the Florida Forest Service.

The biggest of the two prescribed burns encompasses nearly 1,700 acres in the far west-end of the Eau Gallie Boulevard area.

The other prescribed burn is located in Viera, west of Stadium Parkway.

The controlled burns are part of 14 burns that started Wednesday across central Florida, according to the Florida Forest Service.

A burn plan is a written prescription for the prescribed fire, including critical elements such as the weather conditions under which the burn will be conducted. A number of personnel and duties for each burn, as well as the type burn, amount and placement of equipment are needed to safely conduct the burn.

The controlled burns are part of Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, which runs through Sunday, February 4.

Prescribed fire uses slow-moving, low-grade fire to reduce the brush and overgrowth that would otherwise serve as fuel for a dangerous wildfire.

By using prescribed fire in an area that poses a high wildfire risk, a future wildfire in the same area will be less intense, less dangerous and easier to extinguish.

Additionally, prescribed fires return nutrients to the soil, provide better forage for wildlife and livestock, and help control certain plant and tree diseases.

Floridians can download the Florida Forest Service’s “FLBurnTools” app to access an interactive fire map that shows prescribed burns, smoke dispersion models, drought information and wildfire conditions in real-time.

Prescribed burn practitioners can also use the app to plan and submit authorization requests. The app is now available in Apple’s  App Store and on Google Play.

Florida Forest Service Highlights Increased Wildfire Risk During Prescribed Fire Awareness WeekRelated Story:
Florida Forest Service Highlights Increased Wildfire Risk During Prescribed Fire Awareness Week
Photos of the prescribed burn on the west end of Eau Gallie Boulevard behind Renningers Flea and Farmers Market (Image by Taralyn Quigley)
Photos of the prescribed burn on the west end of Eau Gallie Boulevard behind Renningers Flea and Farmers Market (Image by Taralyn Quigley)
Photos of the prescribed burn on the west end of Eau Gallie Boulevard behind Renningers Flea and Farmers Market (Image by Taralyn Quigley)

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