February 2, 2021
Officials with the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center are limiting authorized burns in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties because of high winds and low humidity. Potential burns will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis Tuesday and only those who are certified burn practitioners may be authorized if approved.
Authorizations from the Florida Forest Service are required for prescribed burning – acreage burns – and piles greater than eight feet in diameter. Authorizations are not required for residential yard debris burning in piles less than eight feet in diameter, but Forest Service officials are strongly encouraging residents to refrain from any outdoor burning until conditions improve.
Authorizations from the Florida Forest Service are required for prescribed burning and piles greater than 8 feet in diameter. Authorizations are not required for residential yard debris burning in piles less than 8 feet in diameter, but Forest Service officials are strongly encouraging residents to refrain from any outdoor burning until conditions improve.
Florida has a year-round wildfire season that typically peaks in March and April. As the area approaches that transition from winter to spring, residents might consider taking steps to better protect themselves and their neighbors from the threat of a wildfire.
Cleaning pine straw and leaves from roofs and gutters as well as maintaining a debris-free zone around the home are good first steps. Creating defensible space a clean and green landscape within the immediate vicinity of the home and thinned vegetation out 30 to 100 feet from the home also is advisable in areas prone to wildfire.
Pensacola News Journal
An organization that helps wounded and disabled veterans connect with the outdoors is hoping to make its program more inclusive with a new dormitory at the Blackwater River State Forest specifically designated for female veterans.
The participants of Operation Outdoor Freedom s whitetail deer and turkey hunts used to be exclusively men, but five women have recently joined trips to the Blackwater River State Forest. That prompted the organization to apply for grant funding totaling $26,700 from the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida to construct a women s dormitory.
The dorm will house up to seven women at a time, and construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, according to grant documents. The project will provide an alternative to the bunkhouse-style, wide open lodging the program currently uses.