[ Return to FHP Southern Region
]
The Florida Division of Forestry provides forest health protection assistance to state and private land managers within the State. The State and the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection unit fund this program cooperatively.
Over 40% of Florida is forested (more than 14.6 million acres).
Over 80% of forested acreage in Florida is privately owned.
The National Forests in Florida (1,029,500 acres) provides recreational and wildlife benefits as well as timber products and jobs for thousands of people.
Fusiform rust remains an ongoing problem on slash and loblolly pines in Florida. Pitch canker, annosum root disease, Phytopthora root rot of sand pines, and southern cone rust are occasionally problematic in pine plantations and seed orchards.
Black turpentine beetle and Ips pine engraver beetle activity was exceptionally high throughout the state due to recurring, pronounced and widespread drought conditions. Infestations were more evident in trees and stands exhibiting symptoms of stress, i.e. overstocking, fire scorch or lightning strike.
In 2001, southern pine beetle (SPB) activity increased dramatically beyond the record-setting levels experienced in 2000. There were more spots (2,892), in more counties (34), causing more dead trees (3.5 million), at a greater cost ($38.4 million pre-salvage stumpage value) than previously recorded. Unprecedented infestations occurred in five counties that had no prior records of SPB attack. Outbreaks in urban and suburban areas were especially challenging. The situation became so severe that the State’s Commissioner of Agriculture convened a Task Force to address SPB problems.
The Florida Division of Forestry is becoming more involved with investigations to develop integrated pest management strategies for exotic weeds. They are currently cooperating on a research project with the USDA Forest Service and University of Florida, targeting cogongrass in forested areas.
Thousands of acres of laurel oaks were defoliated across portions of three counties during July and August by the variable oak leaf caterpillar. No tree mortality has been observed.
In spite of the relatively good health of Florida‘s forests, a variety of insects and diseases (both native and introduced), and human-caused impacts such as changes in land use patterns, continue to threaten the State’s resources. To deal with this constantly changing mix of challenges, the Division of Forestry and the Forest Health Protection unit of the USDA Forest Service cooperate to prevent, detect, suppress and manage this multitude of threats. The partnership between the two agencies has worked for three decades to maintain and improve the health of Florida‘s forests.
|
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cooperative Forest Health Program |
69,000 |
69,000 |
61,921 |
84,520 |
Forest Health Monitoring |
0 |
0 |
64,000 |
128,000 |
|
Cooperative suppression, southern pine beetle |
0 |
128,000 |
1,100,000 |
50,000 |
|
NFs in Florida - southern pine beetle |
10,000 |
0 |
150,000 |
250,000 |
For additional information, contact:
Florida Department
of Agriculture
Division of Forestry
Forest Health Section
P.O. Box 147100
Gainesville, FL 32614-7100
Phone: (352) 372-3505
(ext. 119)
E-mail: fhealth@doacs.state.fl.us
Internet: http://www.fl-dof.com/Fm/statelands/foresthealth
or
USDA Forest Service
Forest Health Protection
P.O. Box 2680
Asheville, NC 28802-2680
Phone: (828) 257-4320
E-mail: creynolds02@fs.fed.us
Internet: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth
