Fires in the Everglades: Nature’s Unseen Gardener
Driving through the heart of the Florida Everglades on a recent trip to Flamingo, I found myself surrounded by thick smoke as a wildfire burned in the distance.
Fire crews were already on the scene, managing the flames with practiced precision. It was a dramatic eerie and sobering moment, but what struck me most was how natural it all felt, as if the land itself had summoned the fire.
In most places, fire is feared. It’s seen as a destructive force. Fire is something to be extinguished quickly. But here in the Everglades, fire plays a very different role. It is, quite literally, part of the ecosystem’s life cycle.
Wildfires in the Everglades aren’t always disasters; in fact, they’re vital to the landscape’s health. This was a naturally occuring fire, started by lightning strikes. This fire, like so many others, maintain the balance between marsh and forest. They clear out invasive vegetation and natural overgrowth, recycle nutrients back into the soil, and trigger regrowth that feeds and shelters wildlife.
For decades park management suppressed naturally occurring fires. This suppression disrupted that natural cycle, leading to overgrown areas vulnerable to more intense and damaging burns. That’s why land managers today use prescribed burns to simulate the natural role fire once played freely.
As I continued driving through the smoke, I realized the story of Everglades fire isn’t one of destruction. It’s one of renewal, of ecology at work in one of North America’s most unique environments.
How much do you know about the fire ecology of the Everglades? I’ve put together a quick quiz to test your knowledge and maybe even SPARK your curiosity a little more.
Take the quiz below and see how fire-savvy you really are.
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