Provisional Burns Plans near Python “hot spots” in southwest Palm Beach County today
The South Florida Water Management District plans to perform a 40-acre prescription burn today in an area southwest of St. Palm Beach County on April 10.
As the wind blows northwest in the early morning, depending on the timing of burning, some smoke may reach the coastal community, and then in the afternoon evening, the wind moves out in the south.
The burn is located in 3/4 of the stormwater treatment area, which is 17,000 acres and is the largest wetland in the world. The stormwater treatment area has planted vegetation that loves phosphorus to help clean the water and then sent it south to the Everglades.
The area is also open to the public to cycling, hiking and bird watching.
The burn is located in an area of a stormwater treatment area recently discovered in a University of Florida study, a python hotspot on the border between Broward and Palm Beach County, where hunters pile up dozens of Pythons.
Prescribed burns are essential for ecosystem health and preventing wildfires, especially during dry seasons. As measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor, the southwest of Palm Beach County is in a severe drought state.
In some places, water is pumped during the dry spell, and the rotten vegetation at the bottom is exposed. When submerged, this vegetation sucks oxygen from the water, preventing fish from laying eggs, making it difficult for wading birds to find food.
A map showing the designated burn location in southwestern Palm Beach County is scheduled for April 10, 2025.
Kimberly Miller is a reporter for the Palm Beach Post of Florida USA Network. She covers real estate, weather and environment. Subscribe to Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news prompts, please send it to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism industry, subscribe today.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Beach Post: Provisional Burns near Python Hot Spot in southwest Palm Beach County on April 10
