Fire in the Wildland-Urban Interface: Considering Fire in Florida's Ecosystems1
Abstract
Natural ecosystems in Florida are dependent on periodic fire to maintain the health and diversity of native plants and animals. In the document Circular 1431, wildfire information is summarized for Florida's ecosystems: scrub pine, pine rockland, pine flatwood, dry prairie, marsh, high pine/sandhill, swamp, hardwood hammock, and hardwood rockland/tropical hammock. Many people live within or near these ecosystems, in an area termed the wildland-urban interface. These interface residents should be aware of the natural role of fire and the associated wildfire hazard in their surroundings.
Residents in extreme wildfire hazard ecosystems (scrub pine, pine rockland, and pine flatwood) as well as those in high wildfire hazard ecosystems (dry prairie and marsh) can use this information to begin their process of preparing for wildfire. Residents in medium to low wildfire hazard ecosystems can increase their knowledge of the natural wildfire cycles near their homes. Scenic photographs and maps of ecosystems by county assist the reader in the classification of ecosystems. A glossary of wildfire terms and references are included. For a PDF version of this 14-page, illustrated document click here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FR/FR13700.pdf
Keywords: wildfire, hazard assessment, defensible space, firewise landscaping
Footnotes
This document is Circular 1431, one of the series Fire in the Wildland-Urban Interface of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published: January 2003. Reviewed May 2009. This factsheet is funded by the National Fire Plan through the Southern Center for Wildland-Urban Interface Research and Information, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service.
Anna L. Behm, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Forest Resources and Conservation; and Mary L. Duryea, Associate Dean of Research and Associate Director, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal
Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions
that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed,
color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital
status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.
For more information on obtaining other extension publications,
contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.
