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A 28-fire near the new airport site is not a cause for concern.  That’s because Division of Forestry were on site while setting a prescribed burn.  The burn is part of a deal with the new airport.  Construction impacts the wetlands, so airport officials are now responsible for maintaining several pieces of land surrounding the area.  Setting it on fire is just how they do it.

“Fire was always a natural component of the eco-system of Northwest Florida,” said wildlife biologist Jim Moyers, “This is not a wildfire, this is a prescribed burn.  This is good fire, wildfires are bad fires.”

From lightning strikes to accidental sparks, woody areas are full of fuel.

“That fire’s going to consume those fuels, it’s going to consume it very hot, very rapidly and very intensely,” said Moyers.

That’s the process they’re trying to control, using tools like drip-torches to set the woods ablaze in a responsible way.

“We use fire as a natural resource management tool,” said Moyers, “we know the good things that come from it, so we use it to enhance and restore eco-systems.”

The fires can also change the plant life, taking away woody vegetation to make room for grasses and flowering plants.

“It’s just like us taking vitamins, it helps us grow and maintain ourselves,” he said, “We’re feeding the plants by releasing those nutrients through fire.”

Special training and safety measures are required with all prescribed burns.  This particular burn is part of a 3-year project.  They will burn again in the Spring to enhance vegetation, and then plant new trees in the area.