Water gives life Allapattah Flats; fire keeps it healthy. The canal in the photo was dug in the '40s or '50s as part of the effort to dry out Allapattah Flats for ranching and timber harvesting. Some of the canals and many of the drainage ditches that were here before the state bought the land have been filled in, but this one remains.
Note the charred cabbage palm, probably the result of a prescribed burn. Under natural conditions, Lands like this would catch fire and burn regularly, but not so much any more given Allapattah's relatively limited size. Land managers plan on burning 1,000 to 1,500 acres every year to match natural cycles and prevent Allapattah from overgrowing.
NEXT STOP: A WETLAND IN MINIATURE
RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE
Note the charred cabbage palm, probably the result of a prescribed burn. Under natural conditions, Lands like this would catch fire and burn regularly, but not so much any more given Allapattah's relatively limited size. Land managers plan on burning 1,000 to 1,500 acres every year to match natural cycles and prevent Allapattah from overgrowing.
NEXT STOP: A WETLAND IN MINIATURE
RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE