Assessment of Current Conditions

Florida has over 16 million acres or 25 thousand square miles of forests, representing nearly half of the state's land area. Forests in Florida are managed to produce a variety of wood and fiber products, with about 650 million cubic feet of roundwood harvested annually. These forests also support outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and millions of visitors to the state, and provide important non-market environmental services such as biodiversity, hydrologic function, and mitigation of global climate change through sequestering atmospheric carbon.

Every few years the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Dept. conducts a study to assess the economic impacts of forests and the forest products industry in the state of Florida. See the results of the latest study: Economic Contributions of the Forest Industry and Forest-based Recreation in Florida, 2016 Report

Visit the Florida Forest Service for additional information about forests and forestry in Florida.