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)