Fires used to occur naturally through lightning strikes. Before development occurred in Florida, fires would burn for days and travel many miles. These fires can no longer be allowed to roam free, so to achieve the effects of natural fires on lands managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District, fires are intentionally set under very stringent conditions. It's like writing a prescription because you take into account many factors. All public land managers, including the District, state Division of Forestry and State Park Service, use prescribed fires to reduce the possibility of a wildfire while enhancing land's biological values.
Prescribed fire removes undergrowth that fuels wildfires.
The fires also spur an increase in wildflowers and wildlife. Wildlife in areas of prescribed fires burrow underground or move to other areas as the fire passes, and return later to the area. Animals native to such communities relocate or can vanish when their habitat is changed. In the north Florida area, prescribed burns have been used by the District and other agencies at Bayard Conservation Area, Jennings State Forest, Moses Creek Conservation Area, Guana State Park, Little Talbot Island and the Ralph E. Simmons Memorial State Forest.