complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Unit Name: Blackwater River State Forest
Acres: 209,609.67 Managing Agency: FDACS-DOF
358
Current Management Plan
Approved:
12/19/2000
Narrative:
The Blackwater River State Forest (BRSF) is comprised of more than 200,000 acres of forests,
rivers and lakes. It is named for the Blackwater River, an Outstanding Florida Water, and is one of
the last remaining shifting sand bottom streams. The land that was to become the BRSF was
acquired by the Federal Government in the 1930s to re-vegetate, resettle, and protect the area
following extensive de forestation by land and timber companies in the early 1900s. In the late
1930s at the request of Florida's Governor, the land was leased to the State and the restoration
process continued. Over the years, through the Preservation-2000 and Florida Forever Programs,
along with in-holding additions, BRSF has grown from the original 183,184 acres to 209,609.67
acres. BRSF is known for its longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem, which, in combination with the
Conecuh National Forest to the north and Eglin Air Force Base to the south, is the largest
contiguous ecological community of this type in the world. The maintenance of the longleaf
pine/wiregrass ecosystem along with the restoration of slash pine, sand pine, and loblolly pine
plantations, and recovery of the red cockaded woodpecker is the main focus for BRSF.
In an effort to standardize the land management planning and reporting methods implemented by
all state land managers, the LMUAC has established eight common management goals and 32
quantitative measures that should be addressed by all management plans, where they apply to the
specific purposes and mission of each management unit. The Division of Forestry’s progress
towards achieving the common goals and applicable core objectives, as well as additional State
Forest-specific objectives for the BRSF, is described in quantitative terms on Tables 1- 8. The
management plan for BRSF was approved prior to July 2008, and does not contain specific
measures and timeframes for the goals, objectives and recommended actions. In the narrative
below, the last two years of applicable outstanding accomplishments, deficiencies and corrective
actions, and other important or clarifying information is provided for each of the LMUAC
management goals.
During the last two years the prescribed burn program has burned approximately 112,775 acres.
The timber management practices on BRSF are important in the restoration and maintenance of
forest ecosystems and provide a variety of benefits to Floridians. Thousands of acres of slash pine
plantations are being converted to longleaf pine, and in the past two years, restoration began on
the Yellow River Ravines area.
Species known to occur within BRSF include white tailed deer, wild turkey, red fox, bobcat, eastern
tiger salamander, bobwhite quail, and eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Significant species on
BRSF include the bald eagle, red cockaded woodpecker (RCW), gopher tortoise, and reticulated
flatwoods salamander. The RCW population on BRSF has increased from 59 potential breeding
groups to 80, through habitat maintenance and restoration, creating new clusters, and the
translocation of birds.
The Division of Forestry manages BRSF under the multiple-use concept balancing environmental,
recreational and resource use needs. Major recreational activities enjoyed at BRSF include
canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, swimming, hunting, and mountain bike riding.
Recreational additions in the last two years include the development of the Red-Rocks Off-Road
Bicycle trail and construction of a new bath house at Coldwater Recreation Area. There are 217
archaeological and historical sites on BRSF.