Land Acquisitions
The Land Acquisition Section (LAS) oversees essential
functions of acquisition and management of state lands managed
by the Division of Forestry as well as providing support
functions to other state agencies in their efforts to acquire
and manage forested timberlands. Establishment of timber
cruise and timber appraisal specifications for all state
land acquisitions is the function of the LAS as well as
the review and approval of the timber cruise and timber
appraisals for compliance with those specifications for
state land acquisitions. The LAS comments, from a land manager’s
perspective, on the pre-closing and closing information
(survey, title work, environmental assessment) associated
with those CARL projects where the Division of Forestry
is designated the lead managing agency. The LAS acts as staff to the Division of Forestry’s
representative seated on the Florida Acquisition and Restoration
Council (ARC). ARC is a seven member committee, appointed
by the Governor, that selects and ranks Conservation and
Recreation Lands (CARL) acquisition projects, reviews land
management issues, and provides input to the Governor and
the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement
Trust Fund.
ARC is responsible for reviewing and approving the land
management plans required to be prepared for all state-owned
lands meeting the statutory requirements of Chapter 259,
Florida Statutes. The LAS provides team members and coordination
for the statutorily mandated land management review process
associated with state forests, parks, wildlife management
areas, and other state-owned lands to ensure that such
lands are managed for the purposes for which they were
acquired and in compliance with approved management plan.
The LAS is responsible for all aspects regarding the
implementation of the Department’s inholdings and
additions land acquisition program, which is funded through
the Florida Forever Program. This program is specifically
designed as a tool to aide in the management of state
forests by acquiring those essential ownerships that were
not acquired in the initial phases of the project. These
parcels have now been identified as integral to the successful
management of the forest by allowing the introduction
of prescribed fire to previously inaccessible areas, providing
additional public access, and affording additional protections
to environmentally areas.
The Federally funded Forest Legacy program and the state
sponsored Rural and Family Lands Protection Act are coordinated
through the LAS. In addition, through the Department’
s Relocation and Construction Trust Fund program, the
LAS conducts sales of those lands associated with towersites
and work centers that have been determined to be surplus
to the needs of the Division as well as acquiring those
sites that have been identified as necessary to the mission.
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