The Florida Forest Service will be conducting a 1,222 acre prescribed burn on January 30, 2022, at Picayune Strand State Forest.
The boundaries of the prescribed burn are I-75 on the North side, Old Prairie Canal on the East side, 55th Avenue SE on the South side, and Merritt Canal on the West side. The forest is positioned East of Naples, South of I-75, and North of US 41. Motorists and residents should exercise caution in the area.
The prescribed burn serves to reduce the understory surface fuels for wildfire safety and as a form of ecological management for wildlife habitat management. South Florida slash pine, Sabal palm, and Cypress serve as the canopy in this area with saw palmetto, Brazilian peppertree, and various grasses forming the understory.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FDACS.gov/FLForestService.