Park uses prescribed fires to keep state lands healthy
SANTA ROSA BEACH – Topsail Hill Preserve is one of the several Florida State Parks that use prescribed burning as a tool to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. The majority of our 1,637-acre park relies on prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels, eliminate unwanted species of trees, stimulate sprouting and increase production of long-leaf pines.
The term prescribed burning is just what the name implies. The burn is planned by a written prescription of weather conditions to ensure safe and effective results. The fire is carefully planned according relative humidity, dispersion index, fuel moisture, temperature, wind direction and speed. These specific weather conditions are needed to reduce smoke in critical areas and to keep forest land, trees and animals healthy.
The use of fire has been in Florida for more than 20,000 years when the first Native Americans used fire for several reasons. Native Floridians burned land in a manner that helped them create an environment that produced food for game animals.
Some other reasons they burned were to eliminate cover from enemies, enhance soil to grow crops and clear cover to help hunt and drive game animals.
The Native Floridians might have even realized that they were helping their ecosystem by reducing destructive pests, such as the southern pine beetle and promoting growth of the valuable long-leaf pine.
Florida has changed dramatically with the loss of fire over many centuries. The land is mainly taken over by hardwood understory plants that take up nutrients and space for animals and fire-dependent plants to survive.
One of the major reasons that prescribed burning is used at Topsail is to reduce this understory and create a habitat for important keystone animals such as the gopher tortoise.
By reducing these thick fuels under a safe and proper burn, the risk of wildfire is reduced dramatically. Wildfires are known for their destructive capabilities of smoke on highways, burning of houses and high mortality of the forest plants and animals. Today, prescribed fire is applied to roughly 8 million acres in the South yearly. Prescribed burning is a desirable and economically sound practice on most southern pine sites when compared to the cost of wildfires.
Air pollution and unsightly landscapes are the major concerns to most park visitors. It is important for park staff to explain not only the benefits of prescribed fire but also the benefit it has over the alternative, wildfire.
Prescribed fires produce a lower emission of smoke and the landscape quickly recovers to be even more beautiful.
A few months after a successful burn, plants and flowers will sprout and create a healthy landscape. Palmettos will produce greenery and blossom with several fruits. Deer, quail and marshland birds are attracted to the new growth of palmettos and grasses, which are grown with more essential protein.
Prescribed burning of Topsail Hill’s land reduces diseases such as brownspot and also reduces pests such as the southern pine beetle. Both affect the life and productivity of the long-leaf pine.
The months of November, December, January and February, are the prime months for Topsail to use prescribed fire to help achieve these benefits to the environment and reduce hazards to the public. The months usually bring in cold fronts and North winds needed to safely burn the park while keeping smoke off of U.S. Highway 98.
This past November, we conducted a successful prescribed burn of 28 acres at Topsail and hopefully we will be able to conduct more burns this year. If you are interested in the effects of prescribed burning that impact the environment or if you have any questions concerning the use of prescribed burning, I encourage you to contact me at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park at (850) 267-0299.
Leda Suydan is park service specialist at Topsail Hill Park and Preserve. You can reach her at (850) 267-0299 or at
leda.suydan@dep.state.fl.us.
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