Prescribed burning

Michael G. Andreu, Christopher Kinslow, andStephen F. Enloe

Fire has been a significant part of southeastern American forests for thousands of years. Prescribed fire is an effective method to achieve some land management goals, but sometimes it is not possible to use this tool. Fortunately, there are alternative treatment options that land managers can consider. Although none of these surrogate treatments will produce the same suite of benefits as prescribed fire, they can mimic some of the benefits that prescribed fire creates and are better than applying no treatments. This publication provides an overview for landowners and land managers that want to understand surrogate treatments and the economic and ecological tradeoffs associated with each treatment.

Jennifer M. Fill and Raelene M. Crandall

This publication aims to provide information on how variation in prescribed fire size and heterogeneity and their impact over time relate to the habitat needs of animals and plants that live in frequently burned savannas. Written by Jennifer M. Fill and Raelene M. Crandall, and published by the UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, August 2023.

Jennifer M. Fill, Hope M. Miller, and Raelene M. Crandall

There is an increase in reported tick-borne illnesses as the tick geographic range expands past historical boundaries. Prescribed fires, ignited intentionally for specific management goals, can indirectly affect tick abundance by disrupting tick predator and prey interactions and altering suitable tick habitat. The high temperatures during prescribed fires can also directly induce tick mortality. Repeated prescribed fires in southeastern United States tick habitat can be an affordable and environmentally conscious management option.

David R. Godwin, Breanne Ward, Jennifer E. Fawcett, Gary C. Wood, and Raelene M. Crandall

Hurricanes and tropical storms can significantly alter forested and non-forested areas, creating unique hazards and considerations for wildland firefighters and prescribed burners. Prior to responding to wildfires and planning prescribed fires, fire managers should anticipate how these changes will affect fire behavior, smoke, hazards, and access to the fire.

Raelene M. Crandall,Brier Ryver, David R. Godwin, Shelly A. Johnson, Alicia Halbritter, and Ludie A. Bond

Fire is an integral part of the Florida landscape. But what resources exist to support our private landowners who want to incorporate prescribed fires into their management plans? Without a team of skilled professionals on the payroll, safety and fire knowledge are of utmost importance to anyone wanting to ignite prescribed fires on their land. This publication aims to connect Florida landowners with the resources they need for prescribed burning, from planning to ignition to mop up and declaring a fire out. Resources are presented for local, boots-on-the-ground help, as well as training and regional information. Although this is not a comprehensive list, it will guide private landowners who wish to manage their properties with prescribed fire.

Raelene M. Crandall, Lara Milligan, Ludie A. Bond, David R. Godwin, andPhillip D. Rodgers

Smoke in the air may come from prescribed fires, wildfires, or burning trash. Prescribed fires are planned and set by trained professionals to keep forests healthy, support wildlife, and lower the risk of wildfires. Wildfires, by contrast, are unplanned and uncontrolled. They can create a great deal of smoke, especially in areas that haven’t burned for years. Smoke from any fire can be harmful to breathe, but websites like Whyprescribedfire.org and the Florida Forest Service Fire Response Viewer, as well as tools such as the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the AirNow digital app, help people monitor area fires and air quality; make smart choices; and stay safe on smoky days.

D. Alex Bowers, Daniel J. Johnson, Lukas Magee, andRaelene M. Crandall

Fire-dependent longleaf pine ecosystems once covered over 37 million hectares across the Southeast. Today, they occupy less than 5% of their historical range due to urban development, land-use changes, and fire suppression. Fire maintains open canopies, supports diverse ground cover species, and facilitates longleaf pine establishment. This publication describes the longleaf pine life cycle, highlighting how each growth stage, from seedling to adult, is adapted to fire. It explores the historical role of fire: both lightning and indigenous peoples sustained frequent burns across these landscapes for millennia. Without regular fire, longleaf pine ecosystems become closed-canopy forests dominated by other species, leading to biodiversity loss and increased wildfire risk.  Landowners and fire managers will find practical recommendations for using prescribed fire safely and effectively to manage longleaf pine habitats, promote ecosystem resilience and aid longleaf pine recovery.

Martha C. Monroe, Austin K. Dixon, David R. Godwin, Adam C. Watts, andLeda N. Kobziar

Prescribed burning, the carefully planned and directed use of fire to achieve land management goals, is a useful tool for natural resource managers in Florida. Landowners may choose fire to achieve a variety of objectives, including restoring fire-dependent ecosystems, enhancing forage for cattle, improving wildlife habitat, preparing sites for reforestation, and reducing hazardous fuel loads. Prescribed burns achieve many benefits for the environment and for people, but they have the potential to impact the public via smoke. Smoke production is simply unavoidable with prescribed burning, but its potential to harm can be reduced with the use of smoke management techniques. Intended for land managers and the public, this document provides some background information on air quality, the effects of smoke on human health and safety, and some strategies that can be used to protect air quality.

Michael G. Andreu, Chris Demers, and Alan Long

This publication gives an introductory overview of the role of fire in forest systems, the benefits of using prescribed fire as a part of forest management, and the necessary safety and regulatory precautions that landowners and land managers need to adhere to in using prescribed fire.

Coleson F. Wrege, Santiago A. Casanova, andRaelene M. Crandall

Riparian zones connect a body of water and upland habitat and provide many ecosystem services. In many southeastern US ecosystems, prescribed fires are a management tool, yet little is known about how fire impacts the riparian zone. This publication relates research from the western United States to riparian zones in the southeastern United States, with emphasis on wetlands. It discusses fire behavior in relation to riparian zone vegetation, weather (particularly seasonality), and fire interactions with various water body types. It lists and defines relevant fire terms and considers various land management goals. To manage wetlands effectively, managers must understand their historical fire regimes and may need to develop specialized alternative burn plans. Riparian zones should be monitored and specific burn objectives developed within the larger upland pine savanna ecosystem to better understand how these ecotones are impacted by prescribed fire and vice versa. 

By Vânia Maria Pereira, Thiago Souza Campos, Wagner Vendrame, and Raelene M. Crandall

This publication informs fire and natural resources managers as well as other interested people about the relationship between saw palmetto and fire. Saw palmetto is a palm native to the southeastern United States. Like other southeastern palms, saw palmetto thrives in frequently burned environments. Its highly combustible dead leaves fuel fires, after which saw palmetto benefits from the post-fire environment, exhibiting increased growth, resprouting, and induction of flowering. Saw palmettos can survive fires because of their well-insulated buds and waxy leaves. The meristem, where new growth originates, is located inside the top of the stem-like rhizome. Younger leaves grow in the center under several layers of older leaves. Old leaves persist over time and insulate and protect the meristem. This publication includes best management practices for managing saw palmetto to reduce fire hazard and maintain the health of saw palmetto and the entire the landscape.