complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Unit Name: Lake Wales Ridge State Forest
Acres: 26,563.28 Managing Agency: FDACS-DOF
Current Management Plan
Approved:
373
12/8/2006
Narrative:
The Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (LWRSF) is located on or near the ancient Lake Wales Ridge.
Today the scrub ecosystem that thrives on the ridge may have the highest concentration of rare
and endangered plants in the continental United States. This 26,563 acre State Forest is part of
the largest undeveloped piece of land on the Lake Wales Ridge. A portion of the State Forest is
located in the Kissimmee Valley which contains Florida dry prairie, a globally endangered natural
community. The Forest contains outstanding examples of naturally functioning ecosystems
including ancient scrub islands, flatwoods, seepage slopes, sandhills, seasonal ponds, dry prairie,
and undeveloped lakes. The LWRSF was acquired through several different purchases. The
majority of the Arbuckle Tract (13,531 acres) was purchased under the Conservation and
Recreation Lands program between 1984 and July 1986. In July 1994, Preservation 2000 funds
were used to purchase an adjacent 20 acres containing the endangered plant, scrub ziziphus. This
species, once believed to be extinct, only occurs in five known locations. LWRSF is the only public
parcel hosting this species. The Walk-in-the-Water Tract was purchased under the CARL program
in June 1995 and November 1996.
The Boy Scout, Underwood, and Dawson Parcels were all purchased in 2002 under the Florida
Forever program. The Prairie Tract was also recently added in the fall of 2003 under the Florida
Forever program. These acquisitions protect the threatened and endangered ecosystems such as
scrub, southern ridge sandhill, dry prairie, and cutthroat grass seeps that are unique to the Lake
Wales Ridge, Bombing Range Ridge, and the Kissimmee Valley.
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 LWRSF, is described in quantitative terms on Tables 1- 8. The
management plan for LWRSF 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.
Multiple sandhill restoration projects are ongoing on the Forest. The LWRSF provides a habitat for
24 plants and 19 animals currently having federal or state status as threatened or endangered.
This list includes the scrub jay and the sand skink. Scrub-jay census and habitat monitoring is
conducted annually. Rare and endangered plants include the pygmy fringe tree, scrub plum,
Carter's mustard, scrub-blazing star, and bear grass. Accomplishments include conducting
approximately 16,844 acres of forest inventory, prescribed burned approximately 12,118 acres,
and conducted timber sales on approximately 812 acres. The Otter Slough wetland restoration
project was recently initiated, the bridge over Livingston Creek to Grave Island camp site was
rebuilt, completed the removal of Amber Sweets on the Prairie Tract and abandoned grove on Boy
Scout parcel, improved 2 miles of tram roads, GPS dead\dying slash pine areas on Arbuckle tract,
installed 1/4 mile of fence line on Arbuckle tract, and completed the Anne Malatesta’s Memorial
Garden.