The dry season for the southeast is upon us. Over the next few months, wildfire risks will increase.
And the Florida Division of Forestry thinks the La Nina effect could cause a jump in the number of them.
Meteorologists at the Division of Forestry say La Nina years are characterized by mild dry winters, which is the perfect recipe for more numerous and larger wildfires.
Division of Forestry Meteorologist Sean Luchs says, "Over the last couple of decades, our most active wildfire periods have come when we've been in a La Nina event or quickly transitioning to a La Nina event."
And over the last year, the D-O-F has done its part to make sure wildfires don't get out of control, by prescribed burning a record 214 thousand acres of State Forest land.
"We use prescribed fire to kind of simulate the effect of natural fires that came before we were here and kind of clean out old vegetation, old growth and makes basically an environment for a more healthy ecosystem."
The DOF also authorized the burning of a record 2.7 million acres of private and public land over the past year.