Florida Prescribed Burns

 Today as we drove to Ft Lauderdale and back to Daytona we witnessed a prescribed burn.  In Florida 2.1 million acres are prescribed burned annually.  Starting in the early 1900s cow hunters purposely tossed matches to start fires to promote growth of grass while removing the underbrush that hosted ticks.  Pine trees that were important for their resin had the debris and brush removed from their base and burned to protect the pine from forest fires.  

The pros of prescribed burning - The wildfires fizzle out when they reach an area that was prescribed burned,  an ecosystem is dependent on the fires that naturally occur every 2-4 years (mostly through lightning strikes) and the Bobwhite quail depend on the regrowth brush to survive.  

Florida actually has a law that protects responsible burners from liability.  There is training and certification processes for safely conducted burns.  Very interesting as California continues to struggle with wildfires.

Paul took this pic while I was driving north on 95.  You can see the underbrush is smoldering while the trees are untouched.

There is a whole map updated daily that shows burns throughout Florida.  Crazy stuff!

The trip to Ft Lauderdale (243 miles) was uneventful.  We left early enough that we avoided the morning rush hour.  The day was beautiful and the music plentiful.  The pistons were perfect and we turned around and headed right back to Daytona (another 243 miles).  I had packed lunch and snacks and drinks so the only stops were for gas and bathroom breaks.  We actually stopped in Port Orange and bought groceries for the next few days.  The search for the third piston is still ongoing.  

The plan - walk tomorrow after sitting in the car all day today.  Continue piston search and finalize details for our trip to the Bahamas.