– IMPORTANT NOTICE –
Heartwood Preserve will be closed to all visitors
all day Wednesday June 17
and until noon Thursday June 18, 2020
for a Prescribed Burn.
Our longleaf pine flatwoods ecosystem depends on the regular occurrence of fire.
We are planning a Prescribed Burn TOMORROW.
During the Burn, we will be closed to all visitors.
No one except staff and crew is permitted to enter.
This is for the safety of all.
We will re-open by noon on Thursday.
All activities will take the utmost care to not disturb our burial sites.
This burn in particular will be for the Beautyberry & Wiregrass Natural Areas as well as areas to the south.
Planning for our Prescribed Burn depends on weather conditions and other factors. We usually don’t know until the day before if we will burn, so your patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated. Weather also changes and can cause us to postpone last minute.
If we don’t burn Wednesday due to weather, we will try again on Thursday.
If the week’s weather doesn’t cooperate, we will try again another week. Please check our Facebook page or give us a call to get the most up-to-date information on our closings. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Prescribed Fire (also called “Control Burn”) at Heartwood Preserve is authorized and assisted by the Florida Forestry Service (FFS) and managed by our own FFS certified prescribed burn manager and experienced burn crew. Pasco Fire Department is notified once we receive our FFS authorization on the day of the burn, and signs are posted along Starkey Boulevard to notify the public passing by.
Things to Know About Prescribed Fire
Prescribed Fire serves several ecological purposes.
- Reduces the amount of “fuel” (branches, twigs, leaves) that can make fires burn too intensely
- Converts organic matter into nutrients and minerals to be absorbed by the living plants
- Stimulates new growth following the burn, providing food for wildlife
- Maintains an open understory, exposing the soil to allow seeds to germinate, spurring new trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
Following our burn, we will plan a special tour of the burn areas, so you can see for yourself the amazing and transformative effects of nature’s most incredible of tools: fire.
Thank you,
Laura Starkey
Posted: 6/16/20
