XERIC RECLAMATION TECHNIQUES PRESCRIBED FIRE - FLORIDA PHOSPHATE MINES

摘要

History shows that development of upland habitat has diminished native xeric communities and those that do remain are often degraded as viable communities, In an effort to protect vanishing upland habitat in South-central Florida, IMC Phosphates Company has spent the last 18 years developing advanced restoration, reclamation and enhancement techniques. By taking a proactive approach IMC has formed partnerships with federal and state agency representatives and many recognized private professional biologist, ecologists and botanists. As a result, several hundred acres of reclaimed xeric habitat have successfully developed similar functional native xeric attributes. A professional peer group formed by IMC summized that the element of fire was just as important as hydrology, geology and other natural factors when determining the difference between degraded and quality xeric communities. By introducing prescribed fire to reclaimed xeric habitat, developing long-term success criteria, monitoring the colonization of xeric scrub dependant flora and fauna, restocking and managing wildlife, IMC has provided supporting evidence that xeric reclamation compares favorably to functional representative "naturally pyrogenic" Florida xeric ecosystems.