A 1,685-acre tract of working timberland in Baker County has been permanently preserved through a $3.7 million conservation easement, marking the latest expansion of the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor.
In an April 7 news release, the nonprofit North Florida Land Trust said it helped bridge a funding gap for the Thayendanegea Timber property through state and federal sources.
The property is north of Interstate 10 and south of Herod Dopson Road.
The transaction was funded through a nearly 50/50 split, including $1.85 million from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and $1.85 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
The Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor is a 1.6 million-acre network of public and private forested lands stretching 100 miles from the Ocala National Forest to the Osceola National Forest.
Easements allow the land to remain in private ownership and continue to be used for active timber operations while legally prohibiting future nonagricultural development.
Allison DeFoor, Land Trust president and CEO, said administrative delays had threatened to derail the project before the organization sought assistance from the office of U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Florida. DeFoor said the intervention helped move the project forward to ensure the acreage remains protected.
The release said the tract is managed for silviculture, which aims to balance timber production with ecological protection and restoration, through planned fires set under specific weather conditions to clear out dead undergrowth and invasive brush.
The controlled burns reduce the risk of out-of-control wildfires while promoting the growth of native grasses and nutrient-rich soil. Wetlands and a riparian buffer along Cedar Creek wind through the landscape, providing essential water filtration.
Wildlife management on the property supports deer, turkey, doves and waterfowl, and the land remains active for native game hunting.
The Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor Partnership, led by the land trust, said it is working to acquire other high-acreage timber tracts in North Florida