Prescribed fire is used to reduce hazardous fuels which threaten property, human safety, and endangered species or other important natural resources. It is also used to meet other resource management objectives such as exotic species control. The vegetation consists of a mosaic of pinelands and cypress domes. The substrate is a thin layer of sand overlying limestone. The pine forests are often called wet pine flatwoods because there is standing water for significant periods during the rainy season.
Hardwoods are relatively sparse.
The herb layer in the pinelands is dominated by grasses and includes several species found only in South Florida. Location of Raccoon Point study area within Big Cypress National Preserve. The long-term study involves six experimental treatments, combinations of 3 seasons and 2 frequencies of prescribed burning. The short frequency is every three years, and the long frequency is every six years. There are three replicates of each treatment, one replicate burned each year for three consecutive years.