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- Info
Designed to burn: integrating natural resource based recreation uses with ecosystems managed using prescribed fire
| Author: |
Perfit, Carol |
| Date: |
2002 |
| Periodical: |
Gainesville, FL: University of Florida. 150 p. M.S. project |
| Abstract: |
Florida's ecosystems developed with fire as an important part of their disturbance regimes. Fires set by lightning and human intervention burned across the land maintaining the soils composition, the plant selection and competition, the growth and regeneration patterns of plants and animals, and therefore the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole. As the industrial revolution changed the way the European settlers lived, their dependency on the land lessened and the attitudes toward and practice of fire disturbance regime changed. Fire suppression and exclusion was a widespread practice by the 1930's. These policies have led to a change in the ecosystem makeup and functioning and biodiversity is diminishing. Scientists, biologists and foresters are advocating a renewed use of prescribed burning on large tracts of public land to restore and protect biodiversity. In order for this to become a cost effective and safe method of land management, proper planning and design of coexisting land uses must be implemented initially and the practice and implications of fire as a management tool must be understood.
One of the areas of greatest contact between humans and natural systems is in nature-based recreation sites. If these sites are to be maintained with prescribed fire, the design and land use pattern become critical. Therefore the information covered here is addressed to the planner and designer of such sites. Once there is an understanding of the historical evolution of fire-dependent ecosystems and the present use of prescribed burning, the designer and planner need to have the knowledge base to accommodate the information into an appropriate design so that prescribed burning may be used as a management tool without the destruction of the site and it's facilities. The suggestions and guidelines given here are a start. They are divided into three sections: site selection, site planning, and design development recommendations. Site selection relates the applicability of various activities to the particular ecosystems. Because of the higher flammability of some systems, this location factor is the most crucial. Site planning addresses the layout of program elements within the recreation site. For example, how might a campground be planned to best protect the site facilities while allowing the vegetation to burn? Design development recommendations suggest less flammable material, design issues, and methods of construction that will reduce fire damage.
The final chapters apply these recommendations and guidelines to the development of a recreation area. Dunns Creek, a new Florida State Park presently being developed, is located south of Palatka, Florida. This extremely diverse 6,222 acre site has 17 different natural communities. The majority of the communities require a fire regime for health and although the site has not been continuously burned in the past, the managers hope to restore it with a regular burn regime. Therefore, the design of the recreation elements is crucial to minimize the impact that fire will have. A master plan and site are proposed based primarily on fire dependency with consideration of other factors where possible.
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