More Than One Million Longleaf Pine and Wiregrass Planted

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CONTACT: NWFWMD Public Information Office (850) 539-2663 or melissa.angel@nwfwmd.state.fl.us

More Than One Million Longleaf Pine and Wiregrass Planted

HAVANA – The Northwest Florida Water Management District recently completed a reforestation and groundcover restoration project that included planting more than one million longleaf pine and wiregrass tubelings on District lands on the Econfina Creek, Choctawhatchee River and Chipola River Water Management Areas (WMAs).

The plantings took place over 19 days in January—at an average of approximately 60,000 plants per day—and covered a total of 1,483 acres in Bay, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties.

Funding for this project came from revenue collected through District timber sales and cost-share assistance from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Longleaf Stewardship Fund through partnership grants with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Wild Turkey
Federation (NWTF).

“The National Wild Turkey Federation is proud of its partnerships with the Northwest Florida Water Management District and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and our overall longleaf restoration efforts in the southeast,” said Mark Hatfield, NWTF’s director of eastern conservation planning. “We are dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage, and longleaf pine is a southern ecosystem that is critical to the restoration of wild turkey populations.”

Planting native species such as longleaf pine trees and wiregrass restores lands to a more natural state and condition, improving plant species diversity and wildlife habitat for animal and insect species; providing erosion control; and helping provide “fuel” for effective prescribed burns.

Prescribed fire is a safe, effective and efficient land management tool, which applies a natural process to ensure ecosystem health. Prescribed fires, which mimic naturally-occurring fires, reduce wildfire risk, enhance native vegetation and improve wildlife habitat.

“The Nature Conservancy provided 363,000 longleaf pine trees to advance habitat restoration at Econfina Creek Water Management Area,” said Brian Pelc, Natural Areas Restoration Specialist with The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “Restoring lands near Econfina Creek helps to protect this critical source of clean, fresh drinking water for Bay County residents. This grant was made possible through our partnership with the Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance, a multi-agency cooperative that includes The Nature Conservancy and the District, which works to restore and appropriately manage native ecosystems within the Apalachicola River region.”

The District owns more than 212,000 acres across northwest Florida, protecting river corridors, springs, streams, lakes and wetlands. The Econfina Creek, Choctawhatchee River and Chipola River WMAs consist of approximately 111,243 acres and protect groundwater recharge areas, sandhill lakes, riverine corridors and notable springs like Williford, Sylvan, and Pitt.

“Reforestation and groundcover restoration are important land management activities that help us protect the natural systems of Northwest Florida,” said District Governing Board member and Lands Committee Chairwoman Stephanie Bloyd. “The District is grateful to our partners in this project, and looks forward to continuing to leverage taxpayer dollars through funding partnerships like these in the future.”

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