Monitoring progress

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Hollister Hurt, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, monitors the progress of a fire set for a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Clear of harm

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Ryan Campbell, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, rakes loose debris from around the base of a long-leaf pine tree to prevent damage during a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Plan of attack

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Keith Hawk, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, goes over the plan for the for a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. As the winds shift throughout the day, the burn plan is adjusted accordingly. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Consumed by prescription

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- David Grimm, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, uses a fire drip can to start a fire line during a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Consumed by prescription

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Smoke billows into the air blanketing the sun during a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. The long-leaf pine trees were killed in 2004 by salt water saturation from a heavy hurricane season. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Forest fuels fire

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Jackson Guard forestry technicians and wildland fire specialists watch over a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Walking the line

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. ? Hollister Hurt, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, uses a fire drip can to start a fire line during a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin?s fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard?s five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Out of harms way

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. ? Jackson Guard forestry technicians and wildland fire specialists watch as a fire consumes dry leaves and underbrush during a prescribed burn at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin?s fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard?s five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Bringing the heat

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Tom Murrie, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, uses a mixture of fuels in a drip line to spark a prescribed fire from an all terrain vehicle at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Bringing the heat

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Tom Murrie, a Jackson Guard forestry technician and wildland fire specialist, uses a mixture of fuels in a drip line to spark a prescribed fire from an all terrain vehicle at White Point, an 85-acre recreation area on the Choctawhatchee Bay Jan. 29. Many native plants and animal species depend on Eglin's fire-dependent long-leaf pine ecosystem, 11 of which are federally protected. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, depend on fire that is typically caused by either lightning strikes or Eglin's resident fire managers to survive. As of the 2008 control burn season, Jackson Guard's five-year average is 73,000 acres burned annually. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Bird caged

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A hawk is caught in a trap set up as part of Eglin’s Bird and Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program. Wildlife biologists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services are tasked with implementing the BASH program here. The hawk was safely relocated to remote location and released. Eglin wildlife officials work to eliminate multiple hazards from the airfield. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)

Scary silhouette

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A vulture effigy dangles in the sunset from a tree by a cord. The effigy is used to scare away turkey vultures from roosting in places where they are a hazard to aircraft. A counter weight is used below the effigy to keep tension in the cord to keep the wind from pushing it into the trees. Wildlife biologists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services are tasked with implementing the Bird and Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program here. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)