TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – National Wildlife groups are ramping up efforts across the southeast to help out vulnerable ecosystems, and that includes plant life here in Florida. Part of that effort is teaching people the difference between good fires, bad fires and preventing wildfires.
The $4.6 millions granted to programs around the country looks to restore nearly 12,000 acres of longleaf pine.
Recommended Videos
The longleaf pine once stretched from Virginia to Texas and covered 90 million acres of land in the U.S. That number is down to around 3.5 million acres. But officials are hoping for a comeback.
Cheryl Millett with the Nature Conservancy said prescribed fires will be key in restoring the longleaf pine and prevent bigger problems.
"When we get one of those lightning strikes that we're going to get, because we're in the lightning capital of North America, it doesn't turn into a big wildfire," Millet said.
Prescribed burns help clear out the excess brush and shrubs from Florida vegetation. Jennifer Evans helped run a workshop in Florida's capital aimed at educating people throughout the state about the necessary fires.
"We want people to understand that there are actually good fires out there and that are good for the ecosystem and the health of the forest," Evans said.
Vernon Compton with the Longleaf Alliance said now they need to reach out to private landowners about the benefits of fires.
"Land is going to burn sooner or later, either under controlled conditions or under wildfire. I look at it like fire is your best insurance policy," Compton said.
Preventing wildfires would be a good break for state firefighters who are already having a tough year.
Florida Forest Service firefighters were set to get raises this year, until it was ultimately cut out of the budget.