Bob Tract Forest Management Plan

Forest Management Plan

Prepared For:

Bob Stobber

XXX NE XXXth Street

XXXXXXX, FL 369887

Plan Time Frame:

2006-2011

Introduction

Property Location:

The Bob Tract can be accessed by traveling north from Vero, Florida on State Road 77 for 17.5 miles to County Road 538. Turn left on CR 538. Head west on CR 538 for approximately 9.5 miles to NE xxth Avenue. Head north on NE xxth Avenue for 2.5 miles. The Bob Property lies to the northeast of the intersection of NE xxth Avenue and NE xxx Street and is located entirely in Section 22 of Township 9 South, Range 23 East. Appendix 1 is a locator map for the Bob Tract.

Landowner Objectives:

This is an update to the original Forest Management Plan that was prepared for the Bob Tract in 1997. The primary objective for the original plan was to restore native plant communities for the purposes of enhancing aesthetic value and contributing to wildlife habitat. Since the original plan was written, several achievements have been made toward a restored community. Stands of young longleaf pine have been successfully established on much of the property. Longleaf pine is a historically significant component of native ecosystems that once dominated the coastal plan from southern Virginia to central Florida and eastern Texas. It is widely believed that at the time of European settlement longleaf pine covered 92 million acres. Longleaf pine is native to a wide variety of sites ranging from wet, poorly drained flatwoods to sandhills (both common in this area of Florida) to dry, rocky mountain ridges such as those found in northeastern Alabama.

The Bob Family continues to be interested in adding to the aesthetic value of the property and contributing to wildlife habitat through the sound management of their recently established forest resources.

Management Recommendation Summary

Timber:

Recommendations for timber management will focus on maintaining and promoting growth of the established longleaf pine stands. The Bob Family is interested in long rotation timber production as well as continued reintroduction of other native plants.

Wildlife:

Creating and managing a diversity of habitat types is essential for successful wildlife management. Habitat diversity can be maintained on the Bob tract through prescribed burning, wildlife openings (such as wide firelines), and mowing.

Species which are native to the longleaf pine/turkey oak community such as the bobwhite quail and gopher tortoise benefit from prescribed burning through increased herbaceous forage, a decrease in competing woody species, and ease of movement. Prescribed burning can also be used to maintain the openings that currently exist on the Bob property. The majority of openings