NEWS
West Bay Controlled Fire
Kristina Hamilton
WEST BAY-The sound and heat from a crackling fierce fire ripping through the forest floor, can unnerve even the bravest person. But when it's a prescribed fire like the one set Friday morning in West Bay, it has potential to restore the entire ecosystem.
"It's just like us taking vitamins helps us grow and maintain ourselves we're feeding the plants by releasing those nutrients through the fire," says Jim Moyers Wildlife Biologist.
Construction crews had to destroy about 4,000 acres of wetlands to build the new airport.
In exchange, the airport board and the st. Joe company set-aside another 10,000 acres to be preserved against development.
Every so often, officials have to conduct a prescribed burns like this, to protect the property and trees from wildfires.
St. Joe company wildlife biologist Joe Moyers says the consequence of not burning could be devastating.
"If it strikes somewhere else that you haven't prescribed burns you have a lot of built up fuels and that fires going to consume those fuels and it's going consume it rapidly and very hot and very intensely."
He also says controlled burns are a part of Northwest Florida's history.
"Aboriginal Americans setting fires because they knew the response of the woods was best for the wildlife," says Moyers.
Lighting a prescribed burn like this isn't something just anyone can do it takes permits, schooling and lots of experience, but igniting the fire is a small part of the process.
Officials say there can be other problems. They're often mistake them for wildfires and there's always the chance they can get out of hand.
"It is possible that a prescribed burn could get out of control, but that is the purpose of the prescription," says Cory Wilson with the Florida Division of Forestry.
That's why the Florida Division of Forestry is always on the scene of most large prescribed burns.
St. Joe Company will be planting long leaf pine trees on this land next year. The trees are native to the West Bay area.
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