Prescribed burn near python ‘hot spot’ in southwestern Palm Beach County scheduled for today

The South Florida Water Management District is scheduled to conduct a 40-acre prescribed burn in an area of southwestern Palm Beach County near the Holy Land Wildlife Management Area today, April 10.

With winds blowing northwest in the morning, and depending on the timing of the burn, it’s possible some smoke may reach coastal communities before winds shift out of the southeast in the early afternoon.

The burn is in stormwater treatment area 3/4, which at 17,000 acres is the largest constructed wetland in the world. Stormwater treatment areas are planted with phosphorus-loving vegetation to help clean water before sending it south into the Everglades.

The area is also open to the public for bicycling, hiking and birdwatching.

The burn is in a section of the stormwater treatment area near an area recently identified in a University of Florida study as a python hot spot on the border between Broward County and Palm Beach County where hunters have racked up scores of pythons.

Prescribed burns are important for the health of the ecosystem and to prevent wildfires, especially during dry seasons. The area in southwestern Palm Beach County being burned is in a severe drought, as measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

In some areas where water pulls back during dry spells, decaying vegetation on the bottom is exposed. That vegetation, when submerged, sucks oxygen from the water, discourages fish spawning and makes it difficult for wading birds to find food.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: prescribed burn near python hot spot scheduled for April 10 in southwest Palm Beach County