Overview

The University of Central Florida's Arboretum holds prescribed burns on campus a few times a year to restore native Florida habitats.  The goal of the prescribed fire program is to establish a natural burn regime in areas that need fire to maintain ecosystem diversity, to reduce hazardous fuel loads, and to provide a more aesthetically pleasing forested area.  UCF has partnered with outside organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Florida Division of Forestry, Saint Johns River Water Management District, and Orange County Fire/Rescue to make the burn program a huge success.

Fire creates and maintains plant and animal habitats throughout the United States. There is no question that many ecosystems would not exist in the absence of fire.  Fire creates change, which is biologically necessary to maintain many healthy ecosystems.  Varying fire timing, frequency, and intensity produces differing resource responses that create the correct changes for habitats.

 The Arboretum will not be conducting any prescribed fires until the drought index decreases.

Burn Crew

Alaina Bernard, Prescribed Fire Coordinator
Jason Sharman
John Miner
Orlando Genao
Aaron Llewellyn