Start Your Year With Two Important Events

Ann Paul, President

By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President

As you know, we have a lot of habitat and climate challenges facing our world these days. Two upcoming events are happening that deserve our attention and participation: Florida Arbor Day on Jan. 16 and the Prescribed Fire Fest on Feb. 21.

January 16: Florida Arbor Day

Celebrated statewide and in Hillsborough County with a tree workshop 

Florida Arbor Day Tree Workshop and Giveaway

Jan. 16, 9-11 am

UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County

5339 County Road 579

Seffner, FL 33584

To register, click here.

Florida Arbor Day is Jan. 16. Trees, especially native trees designed by evolution to thrive in Florida, have an amazing capacity to help buffer, and even, on a grand scale, be solutions to some of these problems. Trees provide food and homes for our native birds and wildlife. Even in neighborhoods and our home landscapes, planting trees can make a difference.

You can celebrate Florida Arbor Day during the Florida Arbor Day Tree Workshop and Giveaway at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County office on Jan. 16. The event focuses on the “Right Tree in the Right Place.” Participants will learn about the importance of selecting and planting the proper tree for the proper habitat. At the end of the event, participants will be given a tree to plant in their landscape.

Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states, generally in April. But here in Florida, it’s best to plant trees during periods of natural rainfall. April is generally a dry month. So experts recommend winter plantings.

Trees have an amazing capacity to help buffer and even provide solutions for habitat loss and climate change. Native Florida trees provide food and homes for our birds and wildlife. Additionally, planting trees in our neighborhoods and incorporating them into suburban landscapes can make a positive difference in habitat restoration.

Trees in general are critical for almost every habitat. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air through the magic of photosynthess, harnessing the sun’s rays and turning it into the carbohydrate energy critical for plant life, and in return, animal life.

Trees can reduce flooding as their roots create channels for rainwater to be absorbed into the soil. Their presence can physically reduce noise pollution, providing us a quiet sanctuary in our own habitats. Through the release of water from their leaves, trees provide evaporative cooling for our urban and suburban microclimates. By planting a tree, we can help offset a lot of negative impacts caused by climate change.

You may have heard that the best time to plant a tree is fifty years ago - or today! Let’s celebrate Arbor Day by planting a native tree or, if you are unable to plant a tree yourself, sponsor a tree for planting. No matter your intention for joining, it is guaranteed that you will learn at least one new thing about the importance of trees and have fun doing so!

Feb. 21 - Prescribed Fire Fest

9 am-2 pm

Edward Medard Conservation Park

6140 Turkey Creek Rd., Plant City, FL 33567

Click here to learn more.

The second event is the Prescribed Fire Fest, hosted by Hillsborough County’s Conservation and Environmental Lands Management staff. The purpose of the festival is to educate about prescribed fire and its value to Florida’s natural landscapes, native plants, and animal communities.

Florida is host to the lightning capital of the United States, which means that most of Florida’s natural forest fires are caused by lightning strikes, something that has been happening across the landscape for thousands of years. In response to this phenomenon, natural areas are dominated by plants and animals adapted to survive fire events. 

Most of Florida is in a “burn now” or “burn soon” situation. Prescribed fires, or fires started on purpose following scientific guidelines, are important for two key reasons: to reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control (destroying property and endangering people) and to ensure the health of native plants and animals of our forests, prairies, and other habitats. Because of these benefits, prescribed fires have been used by land managers in Florida and across the world for decades.

To help manage the biological integrity of more than 64,000 acres of environmentally sensitive lands acquired through the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, Hillsborough County’s Conservation and Environmental Lands Management staff routinely conduct prescribed fires on county conservation lands.

Between November 2024 and September 2025, Hillsborough County staff conducted 54 prescribed fires, deliberately burning 3,342 acres. These prescribed fires manage native habitats within our nature preserves and conservation parks and keep them thriving for wildlife and residents to enjoy.

I urge everyone to attend the Prescribed Fire Fest and learn from our county’s experts on how they use fire to protect our properties and manage habitats.