Spring cane field during sunset.
The prescription burns used in agriculture and forest management have long been destroyed by environmental defense groups and some politicians. A reference It was released this week by researchers at Florida A&M and Tuskegee University, however, disputes the narrative rotated by those who seek to prohibit the prescribed burns, at least when it comes to their use by sugar cane growers.
The Tuskegee-Florida A&M study, whose findings were presented at a Community event held at Belle Glade, FLA, on April 29, examined “the possible environmental impact of the supply of sugarcane”. Speaking to a hearing of more than 100 Belle Glade and the surrounding communities, the authors of the report explained that during the five -month period in 2024, when the study was conducted, “the total quality of the air remained within the established acceptable boundaries and was comparable to some of the best quality.”
Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Tuskegee, one of the designated speakers of the April 29th event at Belle Glade, explained that this research was carried out for the best understanding of trading. The benefits of burn combustion, which elements of the exposure include “improved soil health, prevent pests and a decrease in crop harvesting, leading to lower transport costs”.
However, the documented benefits from the burns of the pre -symbamation have not destroyed the opposition by environmental defense groups such as the Sierra Club, which seek to ban practice. Dr. Bolden-tiller explained how community’s involvement was an important element of the Tuskegee-Florida A & M. study by Dr. Bolden-tiller and her colleagues did proper diligence to incorporate all views and key stakeholders. He noted that critics of the burn pre -symbolus, like the Sierra Club, were invited to participate in the study, but that they refused to do so.
“I’m not afraid of any law,” said Dr. Bolden-tiller to the public on April 29. “I want to know what they have to say to see what the answer is.”
Asked why the Sierra Club chose not to participate in the study, Patrick Ferguson, a senior representative of the organization with the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club, said they did not want to connect to a study in which the industry also participated. Ferguson claims that the new report is biased and shows other studies whose conclusions are in line with Sierra Club’s view of Burns Preharvest. It criticizes the Tuskegee-Florida A&M report to monitor air quality during a period outside the “October-March Burn Era”.
However, in the event of April 29, Dr. Bolden-tiller responded to the claim that the study was conducted outside the peak era, noting that the planned burns were carried out throughout the year, not only from October to March. Dr. Bolden-tiller expressed interest in carrying out further air quality surveillance studies covering longer periods of time, including the whole year.
From April 12 to September 5, Tuskegee and Florida A&M researchers measured the quality of air from six separate surveillance stations using the latest and most sensitive air quality monitoring technology. They found that even with an average magic spike in particles, “the quality of the air remained consistently within the standard permitted air quality values within 24 hours according to national air quality standards”.
This average peak in particles, the exhibition concludes, was not driven by sugar cane burns. The May spike, the report explains: “It is not due to the burning of the pre-symbol, as particle correlation analyzes showed that any debris of sugar cane burn included <1% of dust samples.
In addition, not only the researchers discovered that “the total air quality in the wider area remained within established acceptable boundaries”, but that the quality of the air of the area cultivating Southern Central Florida was “comparable to some of the best quality of air”.
Despite the data presented on Tuesday, the Sierra Club continues to express skepticism. “Nothing included in this recent study does not show that the burning of sugar cane is a major threat to public health or that existing regulations are sufficient to protect the public,” said Colin Walkes, former mayor of Pahokee, FLA.
“Even during the harvest period, our air quality in glades is better than on the coast,” said Cheryl Stein, a former Belle Glade teacher, who is now serving as a curator at the Laurence E. Will. The findings of the Tuskegee-Florida A&M report, Stein added, confirmed by monitoring of air quality carried out by other sourcesincluding government. The most complete source for local air quality information, Stein noted, is www.airqualityNow.comproduced through a “corporate relationship from the US Environmental Protection Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Disease Control Centers and racial, state and local air quality organizations”.
The Tuskegee-Florida A&M exhibition also emphasized the financial impact of the cane industry on the area. “A recent report by Texas A&M University on the financial impact of the American sugar industry showed that the sugar cane sector of the sugar was ~ $ 13B and contributed 12,170 direct work, 24,031 indirect and 17,162 that caused a total of 53,363.” study. “The report further showed that a significant amount of sugar cane sugar produced in the US came from Florida.”
“It is important to obtain this right, as, in some studies, the cane industry produces up to 19.201 jobs and $ 4.7 billion in the state of Florida,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO of Tuskegee, said During the event of April 29, during which Dr. Bolden-tiller added that the issue is for agreements. Researchers in Tuskegee and Florida A&M completed their report, noting that “the burning of the congestion in the sugar cane industry requires a complex balance where the agricultural company not only supports the local economy but also encourages an environment that must manage the industry and the industry.”
