Hillsborough County's new Prescribed Fire Notification System

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Sign up for Hillsborough County's new Prescribed Fire Notification System




Hillsborough County is making it easier for you to know when a prescribed burn might be affecting your neighborhood. Sign up today to receive prescribed burn email notifications whenever Hillsborough County’s prescribed burn teams are conducting a burn.  

Prescribed fire is a vital tool we use to manage Hillsborough County’s 80,000 plus acres of conservation land. It is a safe way to apply a nature process, ensure ecosystem health, and reduce wildfire risk. Despite all the great things prescribed fire can do to protect our communities and help nature flourish, the smoke from a prescribed burn can also be a nuisance if you are sensitive to it, and that is why we want to give everyone the power to prepare. 
 
Although prescribed burns are carefully planned, unfortunately they cannot be scheduled. Our burn managers write a prescription based on the exact weather conditions they need to safely and effectively conduct the burn. Once they have their prescription, they monitor weather forecasts looking for those exact parameters, such as temperature, wind direction, humidity, dispersion, and more.  For this reason, authorizations to conduct prescribed burns are issued by Florida Forest Service the day of the burn. As soon our prescribed burn team receive their authorization to burn, they will send out a prescribed burn notification to let you know where the burn is taking place, how long it will last, whether any trails or other amenities will be closed, and who to contact with questions.

If you would like to learn more about prescribed burns on Hillsborough County managed lands, check out our new Prescribed Fire web page for more information and answers to frequently asked questions!

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