complete agenda - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Unit Name: Wakulla State Forest
Acres: 4,218.51 Managing Agency: FDACS-DOF
Current Management Plan
Approved:
387
10/14/2005
Narrative:
Wakulla State Forest (WaSF) is comprised of 4,218.51 acres. The majority of the forest is located
in northeastern Wakulla County, with a small tract, the Woodville Tract, located in southeastern
Leon County. Most of the land was acquired under the C.A.R.L. and P-2000 acquisition programs.
The Woodville Tract was acquired by the State in 1946. Emphasis is given to preservation of water
quality by protecting the conduits that lie below the state forest and supply Wakulla Springs,
ecosystem restoration, and outdoor recreation. The majority of WSF's acreage was sold by the St.
Joe Corporation to the State of Florida between the years 2001-2003. Approximately 187 acres
were purchased from private landowners with state funds. The 73 acre Woodville Tract of WSF was
acquired by Tax Deed in 1946. Prior to state ownership, much of the land's timber was removed in
the mid-1980s and replanted.
Natural community types found on the forest include upland mixed forest, sandhill, strand swamp,
upland pine, depression wetlands and basin wetlands. A notable feature is its location, just north of
the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park and the Wakulla River an Outstanding Florida
Waterway. Presently there have been limited listed species sighted on the WaSF. This is mainly due
to the short time the state has owned the property. The Woodville Tract (73.3 acres) is an
outstanding example of a longleaf pine-wiregrass community. Past management practices have
disrupted the function of the natural ecosystems on WSF. The restoration of these ecosystems is a
primary objective of the Division of Forestry. A listed species survey has not been conducted on the
WaSF but species of special concern have been sighted. These include the gopher tortoise and
Sherman’s fox squirrel.
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 WaSF, is described in quantitative terms on Tables 1- 8. The
management plan for WaSF 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.
McBride Slough is the major watershed drain through the forest. It combines with two small
springs then flows under State Road 267 and joins the Wakulla River in just over a mile. WSF is
within the Wakulla Springs aquifer. A portion of the forest is part of the watershed groundwater
recharge area for Wakulla Springs, one of the largest single vent freshwater springs in the world. A
wide variety of recreational opportunities await visitors to WSF including hiking, horseback riding,
biking, picnicking, birding and nature study can be enjoyed using existing service roads, old road
beds and established trails. Picnicking is available at the parking area pavilion located off of SR 267
and also at the parking area on the Woodville Tract off of highway 363. A forest inventory was
completed in the spring of 2010.