SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Crews took down extensive vegetation this week at a large preserve in Chuluota.
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However, they are not making way for new homes or shops.
The crews are working to preserve the Chuluota wilderness area.
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This forest had gotten so dense that it needed to be thinned out ahead of a prescribed burn.
Those burns help restore the ecosystem by allowing new native plant growth.
Read: Forest officials warn parts of U.S., including Central Florida, at high risk of wildfires
Experts say the burns are a natural process but are done in a way that can be controlled.
“If you don’t burn it, it will burn on its own at some point, and that’s usually not a good thing,” said Ron Chicone, program coordinator with the Seminole County Natural Lands Program.
Read: Wildfire season causes increased risk for drivers in Central Florida
The land will not be burned until this winter.
That’s when experts say conditions are at their safest.
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