Florida State Forests – One Million Acres and Growing!
2006 marks a milestone for the Florida Division of Forestry as the number of acres managed as state forests surpass the one million acres mark. Anyone who has visited one of Florida’s 33 state forests is fully aware of the natural and outdoor recreation values that they possess. In particular, hikers have found state forests as places where they can readily connect themselves to the outdoor experiences once witnessed by early inhabitants and settlers of the state. These experiences include space, solitude and self-reliance. It is because of these unique outdoor recreational experiences that the Florida Division of Forestry and the Florida Trail Association have had an important and lasting relationship over the years.
While Florida’s state forests provide a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts to hike, bicycle and horseback ride on hundreds of designated trails, the system is only 70 years old—30 years older than the Florida Trail Association. The concept of having a state forest system came in the 1930s as Florida, like many states, tapped into a new federally funded program called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This program was designed to get young men working in conservation type jobs during the Great Depression. However, in order for Florida to participate in the CCC program and reap the benefits, it had to first own public land.
The Florida legislature went to work in 1935 and by year’s end the state secured several pieces of property. Some of the properties became state parks while others would become state forests. In 1936 Pine Log (which currently has 8.0 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail) would become Florida’s first permanent state forest.Â
Today, Florida’s state forest system includes 33 state forests statewide. From the majestic pines, pitcher plant bogs and pristine waters of Blackwater River State Forest in the panhandle to the relic dunes and scrub communities found in Lake Wales Ridge State Forest in central Florida, to lush subtropical forests in south Florida at Picayune Strand State Forest, Florida’s state forests manage nearly every biological community found in Florida.
The Florida Division of Forestry wants you to congratulate the Florida Trail Association on their 40th anniversary of providing people of Florida hiking opportunities on state forests, as well as other public and private lands. This year, in celebrating the Florida State Forest’s One Million Acres and the Florida Trail Association 40th anniversary, The Division of Forestry would like to invite you to come and participate in many of the special events occurring at many state forests.
For additional information on these events or for general information you can log onto www.dof-fl.com or contact the Division of Forest by calling at 850/414-0871 or e-mailing Amy Erven atervena@doacs.state.fl.us. Be sure to request your copy of the comprehensive state forest guide book commemorating the one million acres and ask us how you can become a Florida State Forest Trailwalker.
[submitted by John Waldron, Florida Division of Forestry]
FTA Staff @ January 25, 2006