The communities of Viera East are situated within hundreds of acres of preserved upland and wetland habitats, including preserves for the Florida Scrub Jay and Gopher Tortoise. Over the years, these habitats have become increasingly overgrown with both native (saw palmetto, wax myrtle, vines, etc.) and exotic (primarily Brazilian pepper) species. Due to the close proximity of the residential areas and the preserves (i.e., houses directly adjacent to forested preserves) this poses a serious wildfire risk for the community at large.
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- Preserve before mechanical removal of vegetation to reduce fire hazard (April 2009).
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- Preserve area after mechanical removal of vegetation to reduce fire hazard (May 2009).
In order to create a fire safe community, these residential/preserve interface areas required immediate and continuous mechanical treatment, consisting of cutting and mulching the existing forest material in an effort to significantly reduce fuel loads. Kevin Erwin Consulting Ecologist, Inc. (KECE) was instrumental in assisting the Viera East Community Development District (VECDD) to accomplish this task. KECE continues to provide habitat management services to the VECDD annually to maintain fire wise and fire safe communities within Viera East.