Let neighbors know

Those who know the power of prescribed fire pass it on. Here are answers to common questions you can share with family, friends and neighbors.
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Respond to common questions.

Prescribed fire is carefully planned and applied to forests or grasslands to reduce catastrophic wildfires, protect forest biodiversity, and support other land management goals.

Prescribed fire is used on specific areas of land with established boundary lines during the right weather conditions.

In Florida and Georgia, all prescribed fires must be authorized in advance through a government process.

 

Most prescribed fires in Florida and Georgia are conducted in the winter and early spring. However, prescribed burning during the summer months (or growing season) is important for several plant and animal species.

By using prescribed fire, we get these benefits:

  • Community protection: Florida and Georgia are the top two states in the nation for use of prescribed fire. By clearing out overgrowth, prescribed fire reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires and the subsequent devastation to communities
  • Firefighter protection: Prescribed fires clear out overgrowth that can fuel bigger wildfires. When forests are maintained with prescribed fire, any wildfires that do occur are less severe and easier for firefighters to control.
  • Protection of wildlife that depend on fire: Some animal species need periodic fire to thrive. Many of these species have become threatened or endangered because of the exclusion of fire.
  • Protection of native habitats: Prescribed fire provides openings in the vegetation that many species need, improves nutrient availability, and promotes fresh plant growth. The practice also controls insects such as ticks and diseases like brown spot fungal infection, which can kill young longleaf pine trees.

The bottom line: Prescribed fire allows us to choose the conditions and areas we burn. This isn’t the case with wildfires, which usually occur in weather conditions that make them hard to control and produce a lot of smoke. Fire has shaped our forests and grasslands for thousands of years, often starting because of lightning or fire used by indigenous people. Prescribed fire allows us to work with this natural process to experience its many benefits.

Prescribed burns are planned around the weather and require a government-issued authorization. Trained teams manage every step of every fire set.

Before a burn, experts use computer models and weather data to predict whether smoke could affect sensitive areas like hospitals, nursing homes, roads, and airports. If the smoke is expected to cause problems, the burn plan will be changed.

Prescribed fires may be planned months in advance, but the final decision to burn typically is made within 24 hours of a prescribed burn after experts check that weather conditions and other site factors are suitable.

Planning a prescribed fire also includes the designation of personnel and firefighting equipment, a map of fire breaks and burn area boundaries, wind speed and direction for surface and transport winds, the mixing height, relative humidity, temperature, fine fuel moisture, and desired fire behavior.

Wildlife has relied on and adapted to fire in the Southeast for thousands of years. Most wild animals know exactly how to stay safe during burns. They fly away, climb trees, burrow, go into stump holes, or retreat to wetlands.

Sometimes, individual animals may perish. But prescribed fires help ensure the survival of wildlife species overall.

The bigger threat to many species of wildlife is fire exclusion – active efforts to put out and stop all fire. In areas where prescribed burns are not conducted, overgrowth is left unchecked and smothers native plant species that serve as food and habitat for wildlife. Overgrowth also eliminates open ground conditions that many species rely on for their habitats. Two examples are bobwhite quail, which lose the ability to walk through and forage in overgrown forest floors, and Bachman’s sparrows, which need recently burned areas to nest.

When friends, family and neighbors ask about prescribed fire, tell them what you’ve learned!

We also have posts you can share on social media on our Let Neighbors Know page.

Common Questions

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Use these sample posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and anywhere else you can let neighbors know the power of prescribed fire.

Florida is a national leader in the use of prescribed fire to prevent destructive wildfires and keep forests healthy. Share these posts on social media to let others know why prescribed fire is important here.

 

 

Ever heard of setting fires for safety? That’s what prescribed fires are all about! By managing the forest’s growth, prescribed fires prevent dangerous wildfires. Plus, many animals and plants rely on prescribed fires in order to thrive! 🌱 Learn more about how prescribed fire protects your communities and lands at Whyprescribedfire.org.

 

 

 

 

Around here, we know prescribed fire protects communities, firefighters and forests. New people move to Florida every day. Let them know why prescribed fire is important to us. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

If you see smoke in the distance, it could be land managers fighting fire with fire. In Florida, we use prescribed fire to protect the lands we love and the communities we live in. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

Prescribed fire protects firefighters. Around here, we know that prescribed fire reduces catastrophic wildfire – the type our firefighters risk everything to fight. So thanks, Florida, for supporting prescribed fire and the professionals who manage them. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

Did you know Florida leads the nation in the use of prescribed fire? By clearing out overgrowth that fuels catastrophic wildfires, we are reducing the risk of devastation, protecting lives and our homes. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

Prescribed fire protects our communities. It’s nice to know that we have a good offense before we have to go into defense with wildfires. WhyPrescribedFire.org

Prescribed fire is part of our way of life in Georgia. Share these posts on social media to let others know why prescribed fire is important here.

 

 

Meet David, one of more than 1,000 Albany locals who have jobs that rely on prescribed fire. Land managers have been burning the woods in Albany for decades to help local wildlife and prevent larger, more dangerous wildfires. Learn more about how prescribed fire fuels your economy and protects your community at WhyPrescribedFire.org/Albany

 

 

 

 

Fires protect your community 🤯 🔥. Yep, you read that right! Here in Albany, land managers use prescribed fires to stop bigger, more dangerous wildfires. Even more surprising, this work creates over 1,000 jobs which fuel the local economy! Learn more about how prescribed fire keeps your community safer and stronger at WhyPrescribedFire.org/Albany

 

 

 

 

In the Albany region, prescribed fire helps generate $145 million in economic activity. Keeping our forests healthy supports outdoor industries like quail hunting, which brings tourists who spend money at restaurants, hotels and shops. WhyPrescribedFire.org/Albany

 

 

 

 

Wild animals would rather live in the wild. But they need healthy forests to stay there. Prescribed fire protects animal homes by clearing out dry brush and plants that don’t belong here. Fire is a natural process that helps our native animals and plants thrive in their place. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

By keeping forests healthy, prescribed fire helps prevent bigger wildfires – the type firefighters risk everything to fight. So thanks, Georgia, for supporting prescribed fire and the burn teams who manage them to keep us safe. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

Prescribed fire protects forests. It clears out the build-up of dry plants, protects native plants and keeps our forests healthy. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

That fire just outside town? It means we’re fighting fire with fire. Experts use prescribed fire to protect the lands we love and the communities we live in. WhyPrescribedFire.org

 

 

 

 

Fire renews forests. It has helped keep our forests healthy for thousands of years. After a prescribed fire, native plants resprout and provide the food and shelter wildlife need. WhyPrescribedFire.org


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Around here, we know prescribed fire protects communities, firefighters and forests. Now, we're letting newcomers know. WhyPrescribedFire.org


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