Campus Prescribed Burn Successful
by Chad Binette (cbinette@mail.ucf.edu)

ORLANDO, May 10, 2005 -- To lessen threats from future fires and improve animal and plant habitats, the University of Central Florida conducted a prescribed burn Tuesday, May 10, on 25 wooded acres on the east side of campus.

The burn began at about 10 a.m. and ended in the late afternoon.

The site of the burn contains 25 acres on the north side of the Arboretum, an 80-acre preserve that includes eight natural ecosystems, including an oak hammock, a cypress dome and sand pine scrub habitat. The area contains a mix of shrubs, saw palmettos and pine trees.

The site, which is not near any roads, already had firebreaks that helped to contain this burn. Orange and Seminole County firefighters and Florida Division of Forestry personnel were on campus to help ensure the burn was controlled properly. The Nature Conservancy, led by Florida Fire Manager Zach Prusak, wrote the plan for the burn.

UCF officials will monitor plant growth in the area of the burn during the next few weeks, and additional burns may be held in the fall.

The need for conducting a prescribed burn became more apparent last year, when lightning sparked a fire on campus. That fire was contained quickly and did not approach any residential areas. UCF officials consider prescribed burns an important factor in preventing future fires on the 1,415-acre campus.

"We look at fire from two different ways," said Prusak, who has 17 years of experience working with prescribed burns. "One is an ecological way. If you have an ecosystem that's used to fire every two or three years, and plants and animals depend on that, then if you go 20 to 30 years without a fire, they will die off.

"The other aspect is wildfires. If a site that is naturally accustomed to fire doesn't burn for a long time, then the next time you get a wildfire caused by arson or lightning, the intensity is much higher and it's harder to control."

UCF plans to hold additional prescribed burns to eliminate brush and improve habitats in other areas of the campus. Some of the areas with the thickest vegetation will be burned in cooler, moist weather during fall and winter months. The university also will use other methods, such as machinery, to remove debris that can spark wildfires.

In addition to reducing fire threats and helping to increase biodiversity on campus, the prescribed burns also will help to improve the appearance of the campus, said Martin Quigley, director of the Arboretum. Much of the campus conservation areas are covered with palmettos that are chest-high and too dense for people to walk through, he said.

"We want to return to a more natural landscape, a friendlier landscape with more biodiversity," Quigley said. "We want the campus to look cleaner and more welcoming."

The university will keep the UCF community and neighbors informed as plans for additional burns develop. For more information, go to www.environment.ucf.edu.

DATE POSTED
May 10, 2005

CONTACT
Jill Austin,
Nature Conservancy
407-682-3664, x 129
jaustin@tnc.org

Martin Quigley,
UCF Arboretum
407-823-3146
mquigley@mail.ucf.edu

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LINKS
UCF Prescribed Burn
The Nature Conservancy
Biology Department

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