Florida Land Steward

Florida Land Steward Calendar and News

To sign up for weekly email updates, which include the latest calendar of events, news and a link to the quarterly Florida Land Steward newsletter, send an email to cdemers@ufl.edu.

If you know of an event or news brief that should be included on this page or the news blog please send an email with the news information or event name, date, location, and contact information to cdemers@ufl.edu.

Ongoing Initiatives and Programs
ONGOING INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS

PRESCRIBED BURN ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FROM ATTACK-ONE FIRE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, TALL TIMBERS RESEARCH STATION, AND ALACHUA CONSERVATION TRUST

These organizations are available to meet onsite with landowners to discuss their goals and assist with prescribed burn prescription and implementation. This service may be suspended due to current health crisis.

Attack-One Fire Management Services is grant-funded to assist landowners with current NRCS contracts with prescribed fire planning and implementation throughout Florida and Georgia. We can also assist landowners who have former NRCS contracts with prescribed fire consultation, planning and implementation with active Gopher Tortoise habitat present. For more information email Kevin Carter, kevin@attack-one.com or call (850) 926-6534

Tall Timbers Research Station is funded by a Longleaf Legacy Landscape project to provide fire consultation, planning, and implementation to private landowners in the Florida Panhandle from Pensacola to Lake City and in west Georgia as far north as the Chattahoochee Fall Line (Columbus, GA). Contact Jeremiah Cates, jcates@talltimbers.org, (850) 381-8707. Also see their web page for more details: Private Lands Prescribed Fire Project - Tall Timbers

Alachua Conservation Trust has a prescribed fire specialist available to assist private landowners with burn planning, include that associated with NRCS contacts, in Alachua, Putnam, Marion, Levy, Bradford, Clay and portions of Flagler, Volusia, Lake, Sumter, and Citrus Counties. Contact Barry Coulliette at act.barryc@gmail.com, 904-838-8591. Barry is also the Coordinator for the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FIRE UNIVERSITY PODCAST

The UF Disturbance Ecology and Ecological Restoration (DEER) Lab has launched a podcast named Fire University in a podcast network called Natural Resources University. The network features four science-based podcasts with leading scientists in each topic area. Topics include Deer University focused on white-tailed deer biology and management, Habitat University focused on the science of wildlife habitat management, Pond University focused on delivering the latest science about managing fishing ponds and aquatic ecosystems, and Fire University which delivers the latest research and science on fire ecology and related wildlife and forest management.

The Natural Resources University (NRU) podcasts are available at: https://naturalresourcesuniversity.libsyn.com/

The Fire University Podcasts are available at: https://fireuniversity.libsyn.com/

These podcasts are all available on all the major podcast platforms and people can follow them @UFDEERLab and @NRUniversity where additional content related to natural resource management is posted. For more information contact Dr. Marcus Lashley, (352) 846-0870, marcus.lashley@ufl.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PLANNING SERVICES TO WOMEN LANDOWNERS

Land and Ladies is the first forestry consulting business to focus on women landowners in the Southeast. Based in Georgia, and In partnership with Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources/UGA, Georgia Forestry Commission, and others, the company offers opportunities for women to be engaged directly in the management of their land. Check out their website for details and upcoming classes: https://www.landandladies.com/

HURRICANE PREPARATION AND RECOVERY GUIDES FOR FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS AND LANDOWNERS

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 is the Pine Forest Landowners Guide.

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD PARTNERS WEB MAP TOOL

Use this web tool to identify resources at a local watershed scale. The map is at this link: http://viewer.apps.pflcc.databasin.org/v1/index.html. More about Florida Landscape Web Map Tool and how to use it.

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES? - CHECK OUT THE FOREST HEALTH DIAGNOSTICS FORUM

Hosted by a group of forest and tree health specialists with Southeastern universities and agencies, we are here to help identify pests and diseases in your forest or your backyard, and to recommend a solution, if appropriate. Join the group and report your tree health issue!

Visit the new Forest Health Diagnostic forum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthernTreeHealthDiagnostics/

GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?

Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities. Get information on all invasive taxa at UF/IFAS Invasive Species Programs

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE HOSTING SIMPLE SMOKE SCREENING TOOL ONLINE

An user friendly smoke plotting tool is now available on the Florida Forest's Fire Tools and Downloads webpage.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?

Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Wow, there’s a publication about that?

REPORT QUAIL AND OTHER WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS

To help restore the state’s northern bobwhite quail populations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking private landowners to report sightings of bobwhite quail on their land. Report northern bobwhite quail sightings at MyFWC.com/QuailSighting

The FWC also seeks reports of these species:
- Report chipmunk sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/chipmunk/getlatlong.aspx
- Report panther sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/PantherSightings/getlatlong.aspx
- Report mink sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/mink/getlatlong.aspx
- Report black bear sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/blackbear/getlatlong.aspx
- Report southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuata), and Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus) here:
  https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/raresnakes/UserHome.aspx?id=
NEED A LOAN TO FUND CONSERVATION PROJECTS? CHECK OUT THE USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY'S GUARANTEED CONSERVATION LOAN PROGRAM

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) guarantees loans to promote conservation practices on farms and ranches that help protect natural resources. The goal of FSA’s Conservation Loan (CL) program is to provide access to credit for farmers who need and want to implement conservation measures on their land, but do not have the “up front” funds available to implement these practices. For more information see this Conservation Loan Program Fact Sheet. Also see this table summarizing FSA farm loan opportunities.

The Conservation Contract Program is a program for eligible landowners that protects important natural resources and other sensitive areas while providing a debt management tool. A conservation contract is available to people with Farm Service Agency (FSA) direct loans secured by real estate. These individuals may qualify for a reduction of their FSA indebtedness in exchange for a conservation contract with a term of 50, 30 or 10 years. The conservation contract is a voluntary legal agreement that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on portions of the landowner’s property. Contracts may be established on marginal cropland and other environmentally sensitive lands for conservation, recreation and wildlife purposes. For more information see this Conservation Contract Program Fact Sheet.

The FSA provides several types of farm loans. For more information on these opportunities, see the Florida FSA Website or contact your local FSA office to speak with a local representative.

CONSIDER A GIFT IN SUPPORT OF THE UF/IFAS FLORIDA LAND STEWARD PROGRAM

The mission of the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program is to help and encourage private landowners to actively manage their land resources for long-term environmental, economic, and social benefits. This program is largely supported by partners and donors. If this program has made a difference in your land stewardship efforts please consider a gift. Support the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program here. Thanks!

Upcoming Events and Webinars

East Florida | West Florida | Webinars

East Florida Events

EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)

October 12-13

SAF/FFGS Fall Symposium: Southern Pine Update
Stern Learning Center, Austin Cary Forest near Gainesville, FL. Provided by the Florida Division Society of American Foresters and the UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. Join us for a broad array of topics related to Southern pines. We'll dive into the latest on genetics, forest health, management, and markets. Mark your calendar. Program and registration details to be posted soon.

West Florida Events

WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)
TBD	Florida Land Steward Tour at Jenkins Millview Trace, Escambia County, FL Jenkins Millview Trace, Pensacola, FL. Mr. Robert Jenkins, owner and manager of Jenkins Millview Trace, is the 2020 Florida Land Steward of the Year. Mr. Jenkins is looking forward to hosting a tour when it is safe to do so and all partners are authorized to participate. Details to be posted when a new date is confirmed.

Webinars / Online Training / Events in other States

April 15	Hurricane Preparation & Recovery Webinar: Building a Resilient Operation 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. Provided by the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program with support from Florida Forest Service, Farm Credit Associations of Florida, and other partners. We'll discuss a range of considerations and systems that landowners can put in place to increase their resilience to hurricanes. Topics will include assessing existing forest value and your basis, careful planning of new forests, maintaining good roads and infrastructure, monitoring forest health, planning thinning operations outside of hurricane season, building professional relationships, maintaining good records, and emergency planning. See link above to register.
April 21	Pesticide Recordkeeping Webinar 3:30 to 4:30 pm ET. Provided by the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program in cooperation with the North Central Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, UF/IFAS Pesticide Infrormation Office, and Florida Tree Farm Program. This webinar will provide some guidance for landowners and land managers in keeping records of pesticide use. The American Tree Farm System's 2021 Standards of Sustainability include a new pesticide documentation requirement to meet the standards of forest certification. This webinar will help Tree Farmers and other landowners and land managers understand the benefits of keeping pesticide (including herbicide) use records and meet the requirements of the certification standard. FDACS pesticide applicator CEU and Society of American Foresters CFE pending approval. See link above to register.
May 5	Conservation Webinar: Emerald Ash Borer: Where do we stand? 12:00 pm ET. See link above for details and to join.
May 6	Florida Land Steward Webinar: An Emerging Forest Carbon Market Opportunity for Private Landowners 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. After many years in the works, opportunities are in the works for forest landowners to participate in forest carbon markets via short-term timber harvest deferral agreements. Join us to learn about this emerging alternative income opportunity. SAF CFE pending approval.
May 6	Conservation Webinar: Hydrology, Geology, and Biology of Springs 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. This webinar will give participants an introduction to spring ecology and ecological functions to help meet the USDA NRCS Spring Development Practice Standard. See link above for details and to join.
May 20-21	The Women Landowners Symposium (in Athens, Georgia) University of GA, Russell Special Collections Library, 300 South Hull Street, Athens, GA 30605. This is a biannual national level event hosted and organized by Land & Ladies along with the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Attend to learn from women in the field about becoming an engaged woman landowner, working with consulting foresters, forest product markets, planning and communicating your land goals to the next generation, and more. See link above for details and registration.
June 3	Hurricane Preparation & Recovery Webinar: Prepare for the Storm 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. Provided by the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program with support from Florida Forest Service, Farm Credit Associations of Florida, and other partners. Hurricane season is upon us. Take some important precautions to prepare your property for the next storm. See link above to register.
June 23	USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service State Technical Committee Meeting 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Mark your calendar, details to be posted soon. For information contact Nina Bhattacharyya, nina.bhattacharyya@usda.gov, 352-338-9554.
August 16-19	2021 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course At the Rennaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. The Aquatic Weed Control Short Course offers training and continuing education for Florida's pesticide applicators. Mark your calendar. Details and registration available soon at the link above.
August 26	Hurricane Preparation & Recovery Webinar: Recovering from the Storm 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET. Provided by the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program with support from Florida Forest Service, Farm Credit Associations of Florida, and other partners. We’ll discuss key assistance contacts and strategies to minimize losses within a week and a month after a hurricane. See link above to register.
On-Demand	Florida Land Steward Webinar (recording): Advances in Herbicide Technology in Pine Management Provided by Florida Forest Service and University of Florida IFAS. Dr. Pat Minogue, UF/IFAS, shares the latest information on forestry herbicides. Recorded February 16, 2021. See link above to view. If you are new to forestry, we recommend watching the February 9 vegetation management primer - why use herbicides (below).
On-Demand	Florida Land Steward Webinar (recording): Vegetation Management Primer - Why Use Herbicides? Get a primer on forest vegetation management and why we use herbicides to help our forest stand become established, improve habitat for wildlife, combat invasive species, and more. Recorded on February 9, 2021. See link above to view.
Florida Land Steward Webinar Registrations, Recordings, Links, and Materials Forestry & Natural Resource Webinars Southern Fire Exchange Webinars UF/IFAS Spring 2021 Panhandle Outdoors Live Webinars