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Forests cover almost half of Florida’s total land area – more than 16 million acres. With the population expected to reach over 18 million by 2020, many of Florida’s forests are in danger of becoming over developed or improperly managed.

Division of Forestry: Your Forest. Managed.

At this rate, the state is losing 1,200 acres of forest per week. In addition to explosive growth, hurricanes, forest fires and invasive tropical plants have had a devastating impact on Florida’s leading agriculture industry – forestry.

The Division of Forestry (DOF) saw the need for a public awareness campaign informing Florida’s landowners of the benefits and resources available to help with preparing and managing their property. The closest resource for Florida’s landowners: County Foresters. The toughest challenge for this project was getting people to pay attention to an issue which had little to no short-term effects.

Looking at the big picture, not only do forests contribute to the financial impact of our economy in the areas of agribusiness, tourism and recreation, but they provide environmental benefits critical to preserving our state. The booming growth rate means more landowners, often new to the world of Forestry.

The role of the County Forester has become more important than ever. They must provide sound counsel and advice regarding land management and planning to Florida landowners. Primary research showed that the DOF’s 45 County Foresters were underutilized in the areas of development and execution of land management plans.

To increase awareness in landowners about the important role that County Foresters play, professionals developed a comprehensive public awareness campaign: Your Forest. Managed. This campaign included a full Web site, aggressive statewide press events in the five major media markets, development of printed materials in three languages, displays, outreach programs and media training with County Foresters. For more information, visit YourForestManaged.com.