Gainesville hosts free Flatwoods Fire and Nature Festival to celebrate prescribed fire and forest conservation

GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Science, along with co-sponsors including the Florida Forest Service, will conclude Prescribed Fire Awareness Week with a free public event, the 2025 Flatwoods Fire and Nature Festival, on Saturday, Feb. 1 at UF’s Austin Cary Forest Campus.

The festival will offer prescribed fire and equipment demonstrations, educational tours, native wildlife exhibits, food, and live music. Attendees can explore booths from over 30 agencies and organizations and witness the role of prescribed burns in forest management.

“There will be exhibits, equipment demonstrations, burn demonstrations, as well as plenty of food trucks and live music,” said Ludie Bond, Florida Forest Service spokesperson. “The prescribed burns will be a big hit, and prescribed fire mascot Burner Bob the Bobwhite Quail will be there.”

Held every other year, the event highlights Florida’s fire-dependent ecosystems and the critical role of prescribed burns in reducing wildfire risk and maintaining healthy forests.

“We are the lightning capital of our country, so it makes sense that many of our plant and animal communities are fire-dependent,” said Bond. “We want to invite people out, who may not be used to prescribed fires, may not know much about it, and just really provide them with that educational opportunity.”

Florida leads the nation in prescribed fire application, regularly burning millions of acres annually to manage pine forests, wetlands, and other fire-adapted ecosystems. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the U.S. Fire Administration, Florida accounts for more than 30 percent of prescribed fire acreage in the U.S.

The Flatwoods Fire and Nature Festival starts at 10 a.m. at 10625 NE Waldo Rd., with burn demonstrations scheduled at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

For more information, visit the event page: 2025 Flatwoods Fire & Nature Festival | Facebook.
For inquiries, contact Ludie Bond at ludie.bond@fdacs.gov or FFGS Undergrad Programs, Facilities.