Guía de asociación en la administración de bosques para propietarios de la Florida

[Skip Main Navigation]

In English

For Immediate Release: October 11, 2006

Florida Division of Forestry Launches New Initiative

Your Forest. Managed. launched today

(Tallahassee, Fla.) - The Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Charles H. Bronson, announces today the launch of the Florida Division of Forestry's new public awareness initiative: Your Forest. Managed. This initiative teams landowners across the state with their county forester to ensure the future health of Florida's forests. This is the most comprehensive outreach in the Division's 79 year history and will significantly influence the shaping of Florida's privately owned forests for decades to come.

With Florida's population expected to reach over 18 million by 2020, preparing our privately owned forest lands to accommodate an upcoming record growth rate is at the core of the initiative. Currently the state loses 1,200 acres per week with land use expected to grow by 40 percent during this time. Presenting further need for the initiative, large acreages of land formerly owned by one individual are being broken up into smaller parcels and sold to multiple owners. This changing of hands is introducing new forest land owners who may not have the information necessary to properly manage their property. The increase in number and variety of landowners has required foresters to develop innovative ways to communicate with a changing and diverse group of people-the overall effort: to promote healthy land management.

Your Forest. Managed. is designed to help Florida's county foresters connect with the landowners in the districts they serve. The centerpiece of the campaign has been cleverly named, "OAK" which stands for Outreach Action Kit. OAK consists of a comprehensive landowners manual, brochures, promotional items, displays and an interactive website, all of which are available in both English and Spanish. These tools are expected to help forest landowners make sound decisions when it comes to their property. Secondary components include grass-roots public relations and sponsorships in community events. An advertising campaign is slated for 2007 that will support overall awareness of the important role foresters play in our state.

"At the heart of this initiative is a desire to assist Florida's forest land owners by providing sound counsel on how they can best manage their land to meet their individual needs," said Mike Long, DOF Director. "New landowners need to know that the beautiful land they just bought won't stay that way on its own - we can help."

Forests cover almost half of Florida's total land area - more than 16 million acres. Private landowners own more than half of that total land and claim over half of Florida's raw timber supply. As the state's top agribusiness, the forests industry has a total economic impact of $16.5 billion. Impacts on tourism and recreation claim about six billion and exports outside the sate represent 50 percent of total industry sales.

The Division of Forestry has 45 county foresters in 15 districts whose job it is to help private non-industrial landowners with 10 acres or more develop land management plans and execute proper management practices. To locate a forester in your county please visit www.yourforestmanaged.com.

"The days of sitting on a front porch with a landowner discussing their 500 acres over a glass of sweet tea is coming to a close," says Mike Renwick the Leon and Gadsden county forester. "The 500 acres that one person owned a few years ago is now dozens of partials 10 to 200 acres all owned by different individuals and that's a little more sweet tea than we can drink. Your forest. Managed. gives us the tools we need to communicate with a larger group of people."

Florida's forests provide the environment with clean air and help reduce air pollution and provide habitat for wildlife and a diverse plant population. In addition, forestlands are critical to purifying our state's water supply, providing a water filtering system that affects the drinking water of 90 percent of Florida's population. Proper forest land management is critical to maintaining this lifeline to the state.

The Florida Division of Forestry is committed to protecting 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. Learn more about this important initiative at www.yourforestmanaged.com.

Previous Photo

Next Photo

Información de contacto:
Jennifer Greene
(850) 414-8602
greenej1@doacs.state.fl.us



Arriba