Check out our 39 Florida State Forests!
Welcome to Florida state forests. The primary mission of the Florida Forest Service is to protect Florida and its people from the dangers of wildland fire and manage the forest resources through a stewardship ethic to assure they are available for future generations. Management strategies center on the multiple-use management.
Multiple-use management for Florida state forests will be accomplished with the following strategies:
- Practice sustainable forest management for efficient revenue generation and to support state forest management objectives.
- Provide for resource-based outdoor recreation opportunities for multiple interests.
- Restore and manage healthy forests and native ecosystems, ensuring the long-term viability of endangered, threatened or rare populations and species along with supporting biological diversity including game and nongame wildlife and plants.
- Protect known archaeological, historical, cultural and paleontological resources.
- Restore, maintain and protect hydrological functions related to water resources and the health of associated wetland and aquatic communities.
- Ecosystem restoration activities include prescribed burning, reforestation, thinning of overly dense areas, planting or reseeding groundcover, and restoring plant and animal populations.
Florida state forests provide habitat to a number of different species of wildlife. Some of these species include: gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker, red shouldered hawk, wild turkey, bobcat, bald eagle, rabbits, coyotes, white tailed deer, fox squirrel, and bobwhite quail. When you visit the Florida state forests, you may get the chance to observe some of these species.