DUNNELLON, FL (352today.com) – Starting Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Florida Forest Service (FFS), alongside agency personnel, will begin conducting multiple small burns on Goethe State Forest in Levy County. The burns are scheduled through Thursday, Dec. 5, starting at 10 a.m. each day during the three-day period.
According to FFS, the burns are conducted around approximately 500 red-cockaded woodpecker trees to protect the birds’ nests and habitats.
The service says a controlled burn around the base of the trees will eliminate larger fuel sources, reducing higher flame heights and prolonged burning that could ignite pine sap, potentially harming the birds during prescribed burns or wildfires.
FFS says smoke from the prescribed burns should not impact surrounding homes or roads but that small fires will produce light smoke on the forest’s interior, impacting the trail systems. They don’t anticipate any trails or road closures but advise the general public to avoid the forest areas while the burns occur.
“If you are in the southern portion of Goethe State Forest this week, be prepared to encounter some smoke, fire personnel, and fire equipment,” says Ludie Bond, Ph.D., Wildfire Mitigation Specialist/Public Information Officer for the Waccasassa Forestry Center. “And as always, if you encounter smoke on the roads, lower your speed, turn on your low beams, and remain vigilant.”
Other agencies joining FFS during the burns include Florida State Parks, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Alachua Conservation Trust.