South Florida is the lightning strike capital of North America.  Consequently, fire has always been an integral part of the park's natural history.  Research has shown that fire is not the end, but the beginning of new life in the Everglades.

Everglades National Park was established to protect, “…enhance and restore the ecological values...” as well as “…assure that the park is managed in order to maintain the natural abundance, diversity and ecological integrity of native plants and animals…” (16 U.S.C. sec 410r-5-8)  Regular fires are needed to preserve the biodiversity in many of the park’s ecosystems. Accordingly, park managers consider fire an important ally rather than a foe.

Fire management in Everglades National Park combines fire suppression, prescribed fire, wildland fire use and fire ecology in order to maintain fire in the natural ecosystems while adequately considering impacts upon nearby human population centers as well as threatened and endangered species habitat.  The plans and actions of the Everglades Fire Management staff are guided by the Fire Management Plan.