The state has already had 1,200 wildfires since the start of the year, consuming 20,000 acres.
And Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said conditions are ripe for a repeat of 2011 for state firefighters.
The same conditions that created a very significant and active wildfire season last year are still present in the state, Putnam told reporters Wednesday.
Last years wildfires represented a 32 percent increase over the previous year. Were still in a long-term, la Nina climate condition. The entire state remains very dry, with high drought index numbers. The Panhandle is in a little bit better shape than the rest of the state, but it's only slightly better.
The peak of the wildfire season typically goes from March through May, with hot, dry conditions increasing the spread of flames often caused by lightning, cigarettes, camp fires and hot cars.
According to the state Forest Service, from Jan. 1 to April 1 there have been 1,210 wildfires in Florida, with 19,680 acres of state land burned and another 7,699 acres on federally owned land burned.
At one point last June, nearly 400 fires simultaneously occurred in Florida, covering 115,000 acres.
Two forest rangers lost their lives fighting wildfires without air support.
Putnam said the state has aggressively offered training for all firefighters and has been upgrading equipment that includes closed cab tractors and new helicopters to coordinate the ground approach to battling wildfires.
Because of the conditions, he noted, the state has reduced prescribed burns that are often used to reduce underbrush that can fuel a fire.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
