Florida Land Steward Update, September 25, 2020

DOUG MOORE, FLORIDA TREE FARMER, HAS RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Doug and Teresa Moore at South Prong Plantation

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Florida Land Steward partners are proud to announce that a Florida landowner is being nationally recognized for his proactive conservation and environmental practices, and outstanding stewardship of fish and wildlife resources.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies has recognized Doug Moore and the South Prong Plantation in Baker County with the Private Lands Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Award. South Prong Plantation is a working, multi‐use timberland operation that provides wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities and a living classroom to teach others how to be better land stewards. This adds to the list of awards Doug Moore and his South Prong Plantation has received over the last several year. Read more about this recognition here.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE HURRICANE MICHAEL TIMBER RECOVERY BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

The big news of the day is this block grant assistance for those impacted by Hurricane Michael, which we will continue to highlight through the registration deadline. Registration for the Florida Timber Recovery Block Grant Program is available to forest landowners who suffered damage from Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program is managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the Florida Forest Service (FFS), which will provide technical assistance to forest landowners required to produce documentation to receive compensation for their loss. The registration deadline is Friday November 20, 2020.

The direct link to the Block Grant web page is at FloridaDisaster.org/timber. Register there to begin the application process. For questions about the registration or application process call the FDEM hotline at 850-270-8317. Please continue to share this information with those who need it.

For more details and tips on the application process and other information see the latest UF/IFAS Timber Recovery Block Grant blog post.

OUR FOREST RECOVERY WEBINAR SERIES CONTINUES OCTOBER 1 at 2 PM ET (1 PM CT)

Join us for important tips on identifying and controlling invasive plants. Sites disturbed by the storm have been the perfect medium for invasive plants to establish. Existing and new infestations of invasive plants like cogongrass will be inadvertently spread by heavy equipment during the cleanup and site preparation phases. Be on the lookout for invasive plants and treat them as soon as possible. Register for Forest Recovery Webinar 4 here.

Webinar recordings, links, presentation slides, and supplemental reading material associated with this Forest Recovery Webinar Series (and other past and upcoming events) are all available at Florida Land Steward Events and Webinars.

FUNDING AVAILABLE FROM THE NATURE CONSERVANCY (TNC) TO TREAT COGONGRASS IN CENTRAL PANHANDLE REGION OF FLORIDA

Do you have a cognongrass problem on property in Calhoun, Gadsden, or Liberty Counties? The TNC North Florida Program has funding for 120 total acres of cogongrass treatment in counties surrounding the Apalachicola National Forest. Private landowners in Calhoun, Gadsden, and Liberty Counties who would like to be considered for this funding should contact Brian Pelc, (850) 222-0199 x103, bpelc@tnc.org

What does cognongrass look like? See this identification guide for cogongrass.

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD 2020 SHORT COURSE WEBINAR SERIES BEGINS OCTOBER 15, 2020 AT 2 PM ET

Join us in October and November to learn about timber marketing, maintaining groundcover and valuable wildlife habitat in reforestation, using biomass markets in forest restoration, and planning for resilience after hurricanes. Details and Registration:
Florida Land Steward 2020 Short Course Webinar Series Schedule and Registration.

Don Ashley and his wife Tamara at Ashley Farms, photo by David Lewis
CONGRATULATIONS DON ASHLEY AND THEO MEADOWS OF ASHLEY FARMS: 2020 JON GOULD FLORIDA OUTSTANDING TREE FARMERS OF THE YEAR

Ashley Farms of Madison County has been selected as the 2020 Jon Gould Florida Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year and serves as a model for encouraging other landowners to become great land stewards of their forests. See the video and read about Ashley Farms at the Florida Tree Farm Program web site.

GET READY FOR THE NEXT STORM

Hurricane season isn’t over yet. Don’t wait to get your forest property ready for the next storm.

The USDA Southeast Climate Hub with other USDA agencies and university Extension experts, have developed a set of guides for Florida agricultural producers. The guides are each tailored to a specific agricultural commodity and designed to help produces prepare for and recover from hurricane events. The guides are available on the USDA Southeast Climate Hub Website. Of interest to forest landowners on this page is the Pine Forest Landowners Guide.

CHECK OUT THE FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Florida Land Steward News and Events Page Link

SIGN UP FOR FLORIDA LAND STEWARD EMAIL UPDATES

Don’t miss out on news and events! Sign up for the regular email updates! Send an email to Chris at cdemers@ufl.edu to be added to the email listserv. Florida Land Steward email updates are sent once a week or every other week and include the latest calendar of workshops, tours and other events; a link to the current issue of this quarterly newsletter; updates on cost-share and other assistance programs, opportunities, and resources; and other stewardship related news and information.

HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE?

Drop a line with the details and link(s) to Chris Demers at cdemers@ufl.edu.

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Posted: September 25, 2020


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