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- Info
Effects of fire on Florida's wildfire and wildlife habitat
| Author: |
Main, Martin B.; Tanner, George W. |
| Date: |
1999 |
| Periodical: |
WEC 137. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation |
| Link: |
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW132
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| Abstract: |
The rapid recovery of vegetation, the apparent ability for most species of wildlife to use recently burned areas, and the high-quality habitat provided during post fire recovery suggests that fire enhances habitat for most plants and animals in Florida. When considering the effects of land management practices, we should ask whether our actions help maintain healthy plant and wildlife populations and conserve the diversity and abundance of Florida's native species over the long term. The information available from research indicates that periodic fires benefit and are indeed vital to wildlife populations in fire-adapted habitats in Florida. Fire in Florida, therefore, represents not devastation, but renewal of wildlife habitats. In many ways fire in Florida has an effect similar to the coming of spring in northern states - both events represent a new beginning for plant communities and for the wildlife that depend upon them. |
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