Keystone meeting

The following release is from Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson's office.

Keystone Heights- The Florida Division of Forestry, Florida Park Service, and Clay County Fire Rescue are jointly working on a project to reduce the wildfire danger for residents of Keystone Heights. A prescribed burn has been planned for approximately 30 acres of thick overgrown brush located on an island in the middle of Lake Geneva, just south of the intersection of Florida 100 and Florida 21 in Keystone Heights. This dried lake bed is covered with flammable grasses and underbrush that could fuel a wildfire, dangerously close to homes.

A public meeting to discuss this prescribed burn has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 6th 2008, at 6:30 PM. The meeting will take place at Keystone Heights City Hall, located at 555 South Lawrence Blvd.  Representatives from the Florida Division of Forestry, Florida Park Service, Clay County Fire Rescue, Keystone Heights Volunteer Fire Department, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office will discuss how prescribed burns reduce wildfire risk, increase public safety and benefit wildlife. These local community service professionals will also be available to answer any questions from the community.

Firefighters and emergency managers are concerned that if a wildfire were to start in the area, it would be difficult to extinguish due to the amount of vegetation available to burn, and the inaccessibility of the property. Once the vegetation has been burned back, under controlled conditions, the fire danger is reduced for up to three years and lush green grasses will quickly return, attracting a variety of wildlife. Fore more information on the benefits of prescribed burning visit the Division of Forestry web site at www.fl-dof.com. For questions concerning the community meeting call John Ward with Clay County Fire Rescue at (904) 219-0640.