Wildfires - Polk County LMS

POLK COUNTY LOCAL MITIGATION STRATEGY
WILDFIRES
The Florida Forest Service (FFS) defines wildfire as any fire that does not meet management objectives or is out of control. Wildfires occur
in Florida every year and are part of the natural cycle of our fire-adapted ecosystems. Many of these fires are quickly suppressed before
they can damage property. Prescribed or controlled fires have been used to replace the natural benefits that wildfires provide on many
conservation and ranch properties across the state. Despite the advancements of fire management across the state, many large and
destructive wildfires still occur during severe droughts. Between July 1981, and June 2011, Polk County experienced over 7,000 fires.
Brevard County Wildfire
Fire Burns Home Near Lake Placid, FL in February 2011
Source: USA Today,
Source: Wildfire Today,
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2008-05-12-florida_N.htm Photographer: Reinhold Matay, AP
http://wildfiretoday.com/2011/page/97/ Photographer: Unknown