Prescribed Burn in Wesley Chapel this Week

The Florida Forest Service (FFS), Withlacoochee Forestry Center will be conducting mitigation work on 485 acres, South of Hwy 54 between Foxridge Blvd and Loury Drive in Pasco County. A prescribed fire will take place the week of July 20, 2015, weather permitting.

Prescribed fire is one of the most versatile and cost-effective tools land managers use. Prescribed fire is used to reduce hazardous fuel buildups, thus providing increased protection to people, their homes and the forest.

“We don’t want residents to be concerned when smoke is in the air around the Wesley Chapel community,” says Brian Prill, Forest Area Supervisor, FFS. “We are assisting a private rancher to reduce the wildfire risk on a 485 acre parcel.”

Some precautions you can take if you encounter smoke: • Bring your pets inside • Close windows to prevent drift smoke from entering your home • Store lawn furniture in the garage to keep it clean • Remove laundry from clothes lines • Cover pools and hot tubs • Stay indoors if you have respiratory problems • Slow down if you encounter smoke on the road

Florida Forest Service conducts wildfire hazard reduction treatments on private property, if the landowner does not object, and the area is reasonable determined to be a wildfire hazard area by the FFS. Treatment methods used for wildfire hazard mitigation can be either the application of prescribed burning or other alternative fuel treatment methods to reduce vegetative fuels as a hazard.

“The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages 37 state forests on more than 1 million acres of public forest land while protecting 26 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire.”

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com.