8/6/2019 Forest Stewardship Extension Program Flyer

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Situation and Audience

Over half of Florida’s forest lands are owned by nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners. Under continuous, active management, NIPF lands can make important contributions to the quality of our environment and economy including: a sustainable supply of timber, habitat for many species of wildlife, soil and water conservation, aesthetic qualities and recreational opportunities. Unfortunately, NIPF lands are often unmanaged, contributing fewer benefits than their potential; they may even posehazards related to wildfire, insects and diseases, and spread of invasive exotic plants. At the same time,increasing development pressure in some areas offers owners of unmanaged lands much greater revenue than they can generate from idle land. Forest Stewardship offers opportunities for NIPF

landowners to more actively manage their forest and related resources and to keep these lands in a productive and healthy condition for present and future owners.

Goals and Objectives

Established by the Federal Farm Bill of 1990, the ForestStewardship Program provides technical assistance and educational programs, through State forestry agencies, to NIPF owners toencourage and enable active long-term forest management. A primary focus of the Program is the development of comprehensive, multi-resource management plans.

In Florida, the Division of Forestry (DOF) administers the ForestStewardship Program; one of their goals is to increase statewide participation in the Program. Through a DOF grant, UF-IFASSFRC develops and provides information and technology transfer services that will help meet the second DOF goal of enhancingmanagement capabilities of landowners and resource professionals.

Resources

Over twenty-five extension circulars and fact sheets are available tofill information needs on a variety of topics ranging from forest regeneration methods to marketingtimber. Each quarter, The Florida Forest Steward newsletter is mailed to over 4,300 landowners andnatural resource and extension professionals around the state, providing information on timber pricetrends, natural resource news,management techniques, upcoming educational programs and more. The Master Tree Farmer andMaster Wildlifer series are all available on the Web or for purchase on video or DVD to educate

landowners and extension professionals about important forest and wildlife management concepts andtechniques. The Florida Forest Stewardship Web site provides landowners and professionals withinformation about Forest Stewardship, technical and financial assistance programs, agency and

rest Resources Extension Opportunities

Leslie Hawkins

Forest Stewardship

School of Forest

Resources

8/6/2019 Forest Stewardship Extension Program Flyer

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organization contacts, upcoming events, and access to a variety of resources(http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship). Let us know if there is a topic you would like covered inan extension fact sheet or circular (cdemers@ufl.edu).

A Sample of Forest Management and Stewardship Publications (available on EDIS)

Alternative Forest Land Uses 

Assessment and Management of Hurricane Damaged Timberland Controlling Invasive Exotic Plants in North Florida ForestsEnvironmentally Sound Forest Harvesting Establishing and Maintaining Wildlife Food SourcesForest Regeneration Methods: Natural Regeneration, Direct Seeding and PlantingForest Vegetation Management Improving, Restoring, and Managing Wildlife Habitat in Florida:

Sources of Technical Assistance for Rural Landowners Longleaf Pine Regeneration Pine Straw Management in Florida's Forests Planting Southern PinesProviding Wildlife Cover 

Selecting a Consulting Forester Steps to Marketing Timber Uses and Limitations of Soil Surveys for ForestryUsing Soils to Guide Fertilizer Recommendations for Southern PinesWhere Does a Forest Landowner Find Forestry Help?What is in a Natural Resource Management Plan?What to Expect in a Forest Inventory

Outcomes and Impacts

Since 1990, more than 2,300 landowners have enrolled over 670,000 acres in Florida’s ForestStewardship Program. Forest Stewardship landowner workshops and tours have reached over 2,600landowners in 40 Florida counties. Our program evaluations indicate that, on average, about 85% of  participants find that the programs provide information that answers a specific question or problemthey currently face, and 60% plan to change some aspect(s) of their natural resource management or  planning as a result of the programs.