Stop Saw Palmetto & Wildlife Habitat Destruction

We the undersigned are asking the Forestry Service in the State of Florida to stop  smashing and chopping Saw Palmettos in the name of fire control in empty lots around rural neighborhoods. It is called roller chopping.

We believe this practice is not worth the devastating effect it has on wildlife. The Saw Palmetto provides food and cover for over 211 species of wildlife. When they smash and chop the bushes with their heavy machines, they kill everything in their path including Gopher Tortoises, bird nests, baby animals, and even feral kittens.  

Also, when they smash and chop the palmettos it creates a lot of dead brush to feed a fire and then most of it grows back in a year anyway. There are many other trees that grow much higher than the palmettos where flames will burn also. Fire is a natural occurrence. The wildlife can go underground while the flames go over top. The roller chopping smashes the burros shut so the animals are then trapped if they didn’t get smashed already.

This may be a job security tactic the Forestry Service has come up with to keep working. They tell the public this has to be done. Most people don’t know any better and think the “Forest Service can do no wrong.”  If they only knew how many animals were smashed and chopped up with every plant maybe they would question the practice.
Thank you for your time.