Prescribed Burns

Prescribed fires shape the plants and animals we see here JDSP. Here are some pieces of information that we should think about when trying to understand fire in Florida.

Weather: You might know that summertime in Florida means thunderstorms and that Florida is the lightning capital of the United States (~8 to 10 lightning flashes / km2 in our part of Florida). Lightning strikes within, and all around the thunderstorm clouds. A strike can occur in an area that receives no rainfall or a minimum amount of rainfall, and if wind and moisture conditions are right then that small spark can turn into larger fire. In a typical year, Jonathan Dickinson State Park staff responds to 2 to 3 wildfires started by lightning and there are an untold number of other strikes that go unnoticed.

Biology: Many of the plants and animals in the pine flatwoods ecosystem are adapted to a frequent fire interval (every 2 to 4 years) and in the scrub there is a more moderate fire interval (5 to 15 years). Let me give you a couple examples of organisms adapted to fire. Perhaps you have visited the park after prescribed burns conducted in the winter time. In the next few months we will attempt to do some growing season prescribed fire. In the pine flatwoods especially, you will see a huge difference in the response of wiregrass to summer burning versus winter burning. Wiregrass will seed and the landscape will look much more like the grassland dominated ecosystem it should be versus the palmetto dominated landscape after a growing season burn. A second example of adaptation to fire can be found with a quick glance at the park’s list of rare species that occur in pine flatwoods and scrub. Within the park these plants and animals are rare in no small part because of a lack of an adequate fire regime. Examples of rare organisms include but are not limited to the Florida Scrub Jay, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (gone from the park), Gopher Tortoise, Brown Headed Nuthatch, Bachman’s Sparrow, Four Petal Paw-Paw, Perforated Reindeer Lichen, Snowy Orchid, and on and on.

Prescribed fire: For reasons of public safety we can no longer allow wildfires to burn unchecked within JDSP. Generally, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Forestry, JDSP, and Martin County and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue partner to either extinguish or corral wildfires. Therefore, we proactively use the tool of prescribed burning to restore our properties to the way they functioned prior to European settlement, which includes bolstering native plant and animal populations through the use of fire.