Florida Dunes burn (#0482)

While I was at Bulow Plantation State Park, the ranger told me to drive out to the beach to see a dunes burn by the state. He explained that the state burned the vegetation on the dunes every few years because burning the vegetation helped clear out non-native invasives and helped regenerate the native plants that were necessary for maintaining the dunes.
I was impressed with the ranger’s commentary on the role of plant life in maintaining the health of the sand dunes that stabilize the barrier islands and thus are necessary for protection of coastal properties like Bulow Plantation. When I asked him why he worked as a park ranger instead of as a state botanist, he explained that the park system conducted many classes with local schools to educate them on the environment and that it was that activity that he particularly enjoyed – too bad we didn’t have that level of education about the environment 50 years ago.