Description
From the Introduction...'The wildlands of Dade County, including pine rocklands, and coastal and freshwater marshes, are an endangered resource; only 4 percent of the original extent of pine rocklands remain outside Everglades National Park. Metro Dade County Departments of Environmental Resource Management and Park and Recreation are responsible for the management of county owned lands and cooperate in the management of other wildlands in the county. Fire management, including wildfire response and prescribed burning is necessary for the management of wildlands. A coordinated effort among county, state, and federal land managers and fire services is needed to ensure sound fire management of these unique resources. The South .Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recognizes the importance of fire in the restoration and maintenance of South Florida species and ecosystems. The need for a strategic approach to fire management, including implementation of prescribed burning, and the education of the public and political leaders is a high priority. It is recognized that the task of fire management cannot be borne solely by one agency; no single agency has all the necessary resources. This process continues the historic and current spirit of cooperation between the various local, state, and federal agencies involved with fire management in Dade County. Between July and September 1996 the Dade County Prescribed Fire Working Group, comprised of representatives of the Metro - Dade County departments of Park and Recreation (P&R), Environmental Resource Management (DERM), Risk Management (RM), and Fire and Rescue (MDFR), the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF), Everglades National Park (ENP), Metro Dade Fire Academy (MDFA), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) met to identify issues affecting fire management and develop a long-term fire management strategy for wildland areas in Dade County. This strategic plan addresses wildland fire management needs for over 250,000 acres of wildlands in Dade County, including 60 pine rockland sites, and provides the direction for detailed implementation plans including wildfire response, prescribed fire, and public education and information.'