Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the University of Central Florida will not conduct a prescribed burn on Tuesday, May 25. If weather conditions are more favorable, a prescribed burn could be held on up to 30 acres of the north side of campus later this week.
Prescribed burns, which remove dead, decaying or low-lying plants on the forest floor, are a management technique to maintain healthy ecosystems and to prevent unplanned fires from endangering nearby areas.
This week’s burn is scheduled to cover portions of areas 4A (northwest of the Tower 2 residence hall) or 5 (east of Lake Claire). See the map posted with the story for more details about the location. The state Division of Forestry would help UCF’s Landscape and Natural Resources staff conduct the burn. This would be the 11th burn led by the UCF team.
One of the first UCF-led burns, in 2005, helped the university win a Campus Ecology Recognition award from the National Wildlife Foundation. The award is given to universities committed to restoring wildlife habitat and slowing global warming.
To view a video produced by UCF TV about prescribed burns at UCF, click here.
For more information on prescribed burns at UCF, click here.