Based on favorable weather conditions, Volusia County’s Land Management staff will conduct two prescribed burns today.
Prescribed Burns today in Osteen and New Smyrna Beach
A 20-acre prescribed burn will take place north of the campground at Hickory Bluff Preserve, Osteen. Trails, the campground and pavilion will be closed temporarily.
Another 20-acre burn will be conducted on the Kemcho tract of Deep Creek Preserve, which is west of New Smyrna Beach. There will be no impact to trails or public use.
Historically, nature provided all the tools needed to maintain healthy habitats of natural lands. With the advent of fire suppression, fragmentation due to development, exotic species and user impacts, most natural lands are overgrown. Human intervention is now needed to provide the factors necessary for a healthy habitat.
To restore and maintain the diversity of the ecosystems, prescribed fire is one of the many tools Volusia County uses to manage conservation lands. Prescribed fire has many benefits, such as eliminating dry and overgrown vegetation, reducing the risk of wildfires, increasing seeding, fruiting and forage quality in plants, and improving wildlife habitats.
While other land management treatments are sometimes used, prescribed fire is the most effective, because of the complex chemical, biological and physical processes that fire stimulates.