SEBASTIAN, Fla. — The ground was still smoking Wednesday at the North Sebastian Conservation Area, where the Florida Forest Service burned four acres of land.
L.A. Bykowsky noticed the charred trees on her walk Thursday.
“I think it’s very necessary to do. I'm glad that they do it and I hope they keep on doing it,” she said.
It’s part of a year-round, statewide effort to manage fire risk especially in areas near homes.
Video from Indian River County Conservation Lands showed the embers from Wednesday's controlled burn.
“What we’re doing is opening things up so the scrub jays can get in here and you know promote that species, but the side benefit—we’re also doing mitigation work too,” said David Grubich, public information officer and mitigation specialist with the Florida Forest Service.
This comes as fires rage across Southern California, thousands of miles away with differing fire dangers and factors.
WPTV's Cassandra Garcia asked, “Could what’s happening in California happen in Florida?”
Grubich responded, “The probability would be really low because of mitigation efforts here.”
Mitigation efforts that Grubich says Florida learned following severe fires back in 1998.
“We look at prescribed fire seriously in Florida because as we know where everyone is concerned about California right now, but what they don't understand is in '98, this was California and we had structures lost,” he said. “Now that we’ve reduced the fuel loading there’s less chance of a wildfire out here.”
The conservation area sits across the street from a residential neighborhood.
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"Like the people in California you just worry, you know, is my house going to get affected?” Bykowsky said.
“Literally right outside the woods from us is where people live, so we’re doing this in their backyards basically to make it safe for them," Grubich explained.
It's much-needed work that gives them a fighting chance against future fires.
