Commuters on Babcock Street and Interstate 95 will see smoke from a 2,627-acre prescribed burn planned for Wednesday near Fellsmere.
The burn, which will be conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, was scheduled to occur from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to the agency and Florida Forest Service. Park rangers will be scorching off mesic pine flatwoods and dead vegetation at the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park.
The rangers were working in the northwest part of the park, which sits directly along Babcock Street Southeast, Park Manager Dylan Gavagni said. The park stretches from southern Brevard County to northern Indian River County.
Prescribed burns imitate natural fire cycles to restore healthy forests, decrease undergrowth that builds up overtime and lessens the chance for a wildfire, officials said. Lands that are burned experience an increase in native wildflowers, birds and other wildlife.