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)