| Radio programs for the week of 21 April 2003 |
For more information: UF RESEARCH SUBURBAN BACKYARD WOODS BENEFIT FROM CONTROLLED BURNS
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Much of Florida's pine forests have disappeared, but those that remain are among the richest ecosystems in the world. So there's great attention paid to new ways to preserve the pine's function, including Fire for Backyard Pines; I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... New research shows that fire is good for Florida's long-leaf pines, even when they're growing in urban areas, backyards and golf courses. Botanist Francis Putz says that's an important finding because so little of the nation's long-leaf pines remain... |
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Imagine asking someone to set fire to your backyard. That's what happened in an experiment in a suburban Florida neighborhood as scientists tried to learn how to preserve Florida's long-leaf pine trees. Controlled Suburban Burns. I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... For thousands of years, forests of long-leaf pines in the Southeast U.S. flourished, partly as a result of frequent, low-intensity fires that cleared away dead matter and kept competing plants in check. New research says that same kind of controlled fire can help Florida's remaining pines, even in city backyards. Botanist Francis Putz... |
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If some Florida Scientists have their way, you'll be seeing fires on golf courses here. It turns out they're the perfect place for controlled burns to keep Florida's pine forests healthy. Fire on the Golf Course; I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. Scientists took to the golf course to test a theory on Florida's long-leaf pines. But instead of clubs, they carried fire, and found that a controlled burn was as good for pines isolated in a golf course community, as it is for pines in a wild forest. That has researchers like Francis Putz hoping that Florida golf courses will consider fire as a management tool... |
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Scientists say savannahs of flat-leaf pines are disappearing from the Southeast United States faster than the world's rain forests. And that the plants and animals found here are just as at risk. Today, Florida's Flat-Leaf Pines. I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment Pine forests like the one that makes up Florida's Ocala National Forest used to cover the Southeast United States, but scientists estimate that only three percent of that original forest remains. Botanist Francis Putz says these pine savannahs are among the richest ecosystems in the world... |
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Many species of Florida wildlife can only be found on the state's preserved public lands. But scientists say if we managed our private lands better, the wildlife might find its way to suburbia. Burning for Backyard Wildlife. I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... For the pine forests of Florida that are in public ownership, land managers regularly use controlled burns as a way of keeping the habitat healthy. And there's new research suggesting the same kind of fires might benefit the pines in your own backyard. Botanist Francis Putz sees a future in backyard burns... |