Boyd Hill Nature Preserve controlled burn planned

If you see smoke coming from Boyd Hill Nature Preserve on Friday, don't be alarmed. It's being done on purpose as routine maintenance.

The park will be closed to visitors for the day as the Florida Division of Forestry, St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue and Boyd Hill Nature Preserve staff start burning underbrush about 10 a.m.. They're hoping for wind from the south to keep smoke away from neighborhoods, sending it northward over the park and Lake Maggiore.

If wind or humidity forecast changes, the burn will be rescheduled. Controlled fires like these help regenerate plants, recycle nutrients and prevent wildfires, park supervisor Anne Fidanzato said.

Staff members have prepared about seven acres for the burn by stripping vegetation around the area, creating a barrier that's about 12 feet in diameter, Fidanzato said. They'll start at the north side, setting fires no larger than two acres at a time, until the undergrowth is burned. Then, firefighters will put out the fires and move on to another area.

Staffers picked this area because it hasn't been burned in about a decade, creating conditions ripe for wildfire during summer thunderstorms. Fidanzato said fires are a natural part of Floridian ecosystems, replenishing the nutrients in soil and allowing seeds to grow. She said in about a year the vegetation in the area will be lush and diverse because of the burn.

The last controlled burn was done more than a year ago, she said. They try to keep up with the natural cycle of burns every four to seven years, but the restrictions on when burns can be done make it hard for the park to keep up, she said.

The park is at 1101 Country Club Way South in St. Petersburg.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer