{"id":229250,"date":"2026-04-13T03:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229250\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T03:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:14:18","slug":"op-ed-fire-and-the-flatwoods-prescribed-burning-drought-and-the-future-of-floridas-pyrogenic-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229250\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-Ed:\u00a0Fire and the Flatwoods: Prescribed Burning, Drought, and the Future of Florida’s Pyrogenic Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Photo by Aleks Avram.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sunshine State\u201d\u00a0seems pretty\u00a0fitting, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0Adopted as Florida\u2019s official nickname\u00a0in 1970<\/a>, it\u00a0evokes\u00a0a specific vision: white sand beaches, towering palms, the ultimate endless summer. Fitting, sure \u2014 for a travel brochure.<\/p>\n

But if you really wanted to capture Florida\u2019s uniqueness, something a little more precise might be \u201cThe Fire and Flood State.\u201d Accurate as that is, though,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not sure it would go over well in the travel advertising meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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While not as well-known as the hydrological wonders that Florida has to offer, fire is one of the most influential factors\u00a0shaping the versatility of Florida\u2019s landscapes.\u00a0A\u00a0pyrogenic landscape<\/a>\u00a0refers to ecosystems that are\u00a0maintained\u00a0by the presence of fires.\u00a0\u00a0A\u00a0pyrogenic regime\u00a0\u2014 or\u00a0the intensity, frequency,\u00a0size,\u00a0and scale of\u00a0fires in an ecosystem\u00a0\u2014 can\u00a0depend on the type of ecosystem, along with\u00a0the species that can be found there. For example,\u00a0Chapparal scrubland in California can burn on intervals anywhere from 30-100 years,\u00a0whereas\u00a0in Florida, savannah and\u00a0prairies\u00a0that experience fire can\u00a0be burned between 1-5 years.<\/p>\n

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Fire in Florida drives incredible adaptations and versatility in various species all over the state. For example, some\u00a0pond pine<\/a>, a type of Native Florida Pine, produces \u201cserotinous\u201d cones which only open and release their seeds after they are exposed to heat.\u00a0\u00a0Other adaptations include\u00a0burrowing behavior in the gopher tortoise<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0allow\u00a0it to escape the heat and provide safe\u00a0hiding spots\u00a0for other animals.<\/p>\n

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While these fires were caused historically through naturally occurring lightning in the region, the modern-day fire regime in Florida primarily relies on prescribed burns from organizations. Many state parks,\u00a0such as Wekiwa\u00a0Springs\u00a0State Park\u00a0and Lake Louisa State Park,\u00a0have frequent prescribed burns to\u00a0prevent over-encroachment<\/a>\u00a0from hardwood trees,\u00a0like turkey oaks,\u00a0and\u00a0to\u00a0preserve the vast open space that many pyrogenic habitats,\u00a0like long-leaf pine forests,\u00a0rely on. The prescribed burns are also incredibly important for invasive species management\u00a0and\u00a0for\u00a0stimulating<\/a>\u00a0the flowering of native\u00a0species\u00a0and grasses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many animal species also rely on prescribed burns. For\u00a0example,\u00a0the scrub jay is a type of bird that\u00a0is\u00a0endemic<\/a>\u00a0to Florida.\u00a0The\u00a0different stages\u00a0of regrowth that occur after a fire create habitat required by the\u00a0scrub\u00a0jay. The bird population in Florida is growing increasingly more vulnerable, as it is currently listed as a\u00a0threatened species<\/a>\u00a0by the FWC, and any forms of fire suppression would only further this\u00a0by limiting the habitat available for the\u00a0scrub\u00a0jay.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout 2026, Florida saw its prescribed burn program constrained by forces beyond the usual anthropogenic pressures \u2014 not sprawl or liability, but an extreme climatological drought that made the\u00a0landscape\u00a0too dangerous to burn.\u00a0As of March 2026<\/a>,\u00a0the entire state has experienced at least some form of drought conditions, with some regions experiencing\u00a0harsher\u00a0conditions than others.\u00a0These dry conditions have\u00a0not only\u00a0severely\u00a0impacted\u00a0agricultural\u00a0yields<\/a>,\u00a0but also pyrogenic\u00a0maintenance,\u00a0with many burning agencies being placed on a burn ban until conditions are less dangerous.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Disruptions to prescribed burn programs, whether from development, liability, or\u00a0\u2014\u00a0as seen\u00a0in 2026\u00a0\u2014 extreme\u00a0drought, interrupt the ecological rhythms these systems depend on. As climate variability increases and dry seasons grow more severe, the\u00a0viable\u00a0window\u00a0for\u00a0conducting\u00a0prescribed burns will\u00a0likely continue\u00a0to shrink. Without consistent pyrogenic maintenance, fire-dependent species like the Florida\u00a0scrub\u00a0jay face accelerating habitat loss, and fuel loads across unburned landscapes will continue to accumulate \u2014 setting the stage for the very uncontrolled wildfires.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0While\u00a0Florida built its identity on sun and water, it\u00a0may be fire\u00a0that\u00a0determines\u00a0whether its wild scenery\u00a0survives.<\/p>\n

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandspur or Rollins College. Have any additional tips or opinions? Send us your response. We want to hear your voice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo by Aleks Avram. \u201cThe Sunshine State\u201d\u00a0seems pretty\u00a0fitting, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0Adopted as Florida\u2019s official nickname\u00a0in 1970, it\u00a0evokes\u00a0a specific vision:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-229250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}