complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Unit Name: Cary State Forest
Acres: 13,359.71 Managing Agency: FDACS-DOF
Current Management Plan
Approved:
360
10/17/2000
Narrative:
Cary State Forest (CSF) is comprised of over 13,000 acres. The original 3,413 acre CSF property
was acquired by purchasing multiple parcels between 1935 and 1942. Then the Monticello (3,942
acres), Norfolk Southern (1,651 acres) and Thomas Creek (2,906 acres) Tracts were acquired
through the Florida Forever’s Northeast Florida Timberlands Project and Watershed Reserve Project
and funds provided by the US Navy and the City of Jacksonville. SJRWMD owns a 50% undivided
interest of 2,168 acres of the Thomas Creek “Save of Rivers” acquisition. Natural communities
include mesic and wet flatwoods, basin swamp, sandhill, bottomland and floodplain forest, dome
swamp, baygall, and depression marsh. Prior to state ownership, the original CSF lands were
managed historically for timber, turpentine, cattle, agricultural production and leased for game
species hunting. The diverse natural communities on CSF provide important habitat for several
rare and threatened species such as Sherman’s fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, hooded pitcherplant,
and Florida toothache grass. Access to the forest is provided at several trailhead parking/walk-in
areas, and by a small network of forest roads in the Monticello and Cary Tracts. Recreational
opportunities on CSF include bicycling, hikers, equestrians, nature study, and photography. In
addition, the forest is designated as a FWC wildlife management area, offering a variety of quota
and small game hunting.
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 CSF is described in quantitative terms on Tables 1- 8. The
management plan for CSF 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.
CSF has increased their annual prescribed burning goals, and consistent with this goal CSF burned
1800 acres per year. During ‘09/’10, 450 acres were burned in the growing season.
Approximately 700 acres of the forest have been reforested. The Division of Forestry manages the
Forest under the multiple-use concept balancing environmental, recreational and resource use
needs. Since 2008 the staff has rebuilt nearly ten miles of primary public access roads to permit
year around use.
Staff has replaced or newly installed 13 culverts on forest roads to improve sheet flow. In addition,
low water crossing installations were completed to improve natural water flows at two stream
crossings.
In addition to managing an ongoing schedule of mostly thinning or improvement harvests on nearly
300 acres (16,000 tons removed with revenue of over $205,000), CSF staff completed over 9,500
acres of forest inventory cruising. Efforts continue to monitor and/or treat an estimated 20-30
acres impacted with non-native, invasive plants. Torpedo grass and mimosa are the most
prevalent. Recent efforts have treated 0.5 acres of Japanese climbing fern and 1.5 acres of tropical
soda apple.