Animals and Plants

Managing the resources of the National Forests in Florida means paying close attention to where natural processes may need human help. Ongoing management practices include such techniques as prescribed burns, re-seeding of understory plants, selective timber removal, removing non-native invasive species and closing environmentally sensitive areas for habitat regeneration.

Species monitoring is an ongoing part of resource management. Threatened gopher tortoises, Florida black bears and Florida scrub-jays roam the National Forests in Florida, and endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and the Florida sand skink make residence in habitats found nowhere else.