UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Because of the increasing acreage of WUI, more stringent air qual ity regulations, and the
need to restore fire to areas that are hazardous to bum, the Osceola National Forest has
begun to use mechanical fuel reduction in areas where it is difficult to maintain the needed
fire return interval. The U.S. Forest Service has an interest in protecting human and natural
resources from unnaturally severe wildfires in fire-adapted ecosystems. The U.S. Forest
Service, however, has limited understanding and documentation of the true costs, benefits,
and ecological consequences of this fuel treatment in systems with high rates of
decomposition, productivity, and recovery as found on the Osceola National Forest. The
University of Florida has an interest in providing research to increase knowledge and
provide information to the land management community. By monitoring fuel and
vegetation biomass, composition, and structure before and after treatments, the University
of Florida will be able to evaluate treatment effects, and provide critical information for
modeling fire behavior. This will provide the Osceola National Forest with needed
information and provide the University of Florida with research and information
disseminating opportunities.