The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it will send 9,155,000 to North Florida to “conserve some of the most economically and ecologically significant forestlands across the nation.”
The USDA is backing 34 projects in 22 states and a territory to conserve more than 245,000 acres of working forests with a price tag of $188 million.
This includes funds for Wolfe Creek Forest in Santa Rosa County.
“Acquisition of three tracts totaling 4,270 acres of the Wolfe Creek Forest represents a unique opportunity to protect large, forested gaps within the world’s largest contiguous longleaf forest landscape and preserve watersheds that supply 90 percent of county residents with drinking water. On adjoining tracts, a proposed conservation easement funded through the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program will prevent the area from being converted for uses that are incompatible with the neighboring Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field, supporting its annual $1.4 billion local economic impact,” the USDA noted.
“These forests, identified by state, tribal, and non-profit partners as vital to local communities, are critical to the health of our planet and the livelihoods of millions of Americans,” said U.S. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack. “As private forest landowners continue to face pressures to convert forests, the Forest Legacy program keeps working forests working. Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are ensuring that the most important forested landscapes continue to provide economic and social benefits to the communities that depend on them for their lives and livelihoods.”
