If you happened to stop for a cold brew in Gainesville,FL sometime this summer, you might have come away with a newfound appreciation for Florida forestlands and the people that manage them. That’s because of a display UF/IFAS Communications designed for the Florida Forest Stewardship Program that was installed at First Magnitude Brewing Company from May 21-August 8, 2018. It was also featured as part of the monthly Gainesville ArtWalk in June and July.

The display was conceived by Gregory Marshall from the Florida Forest Service and Chris Demers, Extension Program Manager at the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation.

Marshall and Demers wanted a large display that would catch the eye of casual viewers with multiple images showing the beauty of Florida’s forests, and inform them about the sustainable management practices of the Florida Tree Farm program. The display also had to be portable and adaptable to being rearranged and moved to different venues.

UF/IFAS Communications designed this six-panel photo collage (7’ x 7.25’ full display size) illustrating the four main goals of the Florida Tree Farm program – sustainable wood, water, recreation and wildlife. A raised metal sign from the Tree Farm program was laid over the photo panels, and two text panels were set below to explain forest ecosystem benefits and the purpose of forest stewardship. Each of the panels were mounted on an ACM aluminum material and set off from the wall by bolts and spacers so that panels can be moved around, replaced as needed and provide dimension to attract even more attention.

Many of the photos seen in the display (by Tyler Jones and Camila Guillen of ICS) are featured in “Family Forests: Portraits of Private Land Stewardship in Florida,” written by Chris Demers and designed by Michele Wood, available at IFASbooks in September.

0