Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Wildfire, Public Domain Post-fire bloom, Sierra Nevada © Julie Anne Delgado Botanists and ecologists have long maintained that controlled burns can improve the health and resilience of forests and other native plant communities . Many native plants and animals depend upon periodic fire to reproduce and thrive. Controlled burns can also help fight climate change by reducing the amount and toxicity of emissions from uncontrolled fires. However, opposition to controlled burns, sometimes citing health risks from their smoke, has made it difficult for land managers to use this tool as much as is needed. A new Stanford University School of Medicine study has found, however, that emissions from controlled burns appear to be less harmful to humans than those from wildfires. Researchers reported children were exposed to higher air pollutant levels during a California wildfire than during a similar-sized controlled burn, and the difference was reflected by changes ...

The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) is proud to be one of many native plant societies in the United States affiliated with the Native Plant Conservation Campaign (NPCC).  In 2015, I was honored to attend NPCCs first conference call with representatives from native plant societies across the United States.  It was inspiring to hear the passion in people’s voices as they described their plant conservation projects and endeavors. The following is a summary of achievements for 2015 that was written by Emily Roberson, the Director of the Native Plant Conservation Campaign. Enjoy! Juliet Rynear FNPS Conservation Committee Chair Florida's scrubs provide many ecosystem services including habitat for a wide range of wildlife. 2015 was an historic year for plant conservation in the United States – and for the Native Plant Conservation Campaign! The Native Plant Conservation Campaign celebrated several milestones: We held our inaugural NPCC conference call bring...