Unlike forest management on private lands, the need to derive economic return may not be the dominant force that leads to public land ownership or drives public land management. Often, the acquisition and management of public land has as its objective, to maximize ecological restoration, preserve existing natural resources and facilitate optimum public use.
When such is the case, the BMPs in this manual must be considered as minimum standards that, by themselves, will not always achieve public land management goals. Consequently, public land management agencies charged with developing and implementing management plans for public lands should do so in conformance with this Manual, and to the greatest extent practical, with the following enhancements:
Areas within the Special Management Zone designated as a Primary Zone should be managed as a no-cut zone. Any timber harvesting within these no-cut zones should be limited to operations that are in association with ecological restoration or wildlife habitat enhancement practices. However, isolated wetlands and intermittent streams on state forests shall be exempt from OFW derived Primary Zones. Each individual state forest, within the forest management plan, shall prescribe management practices for isolated wetlands and intermittent streams on a case by case basis.
The Special Management Zone is only one of the BMP concepts that may warrant additional consideration by land managers prior to implementation on public lands. Public land management agencies are advised and encouraged to augment the BMPs where appropriate, particularly on lands that are managed for non-forestry objectives. Protection of forested wetlands within these lands should be given special consideration.
In addition, such agencies should maintain environmental/ecological inventories of public lands and actively implement and study alternatives that exceed the BMPs in this manual. Results should be well documented to help facilitate future BMP revisions. Copies of enhanced management plans or any such studies should be forwarded to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry.
Note: Public land management agencies must often adhere to specific legislative provisions or policies when developing and implementing management plans on certain public lands. In particular, the USDA Forest Service is constrained by the Clean Water Act, the National Forest Management Act, and National Environmental Policy Act to develop and implement a Land and Resource Management Plan that will govern management of certain federally-owned forested land. Similar constraints may occur in legislation that governs acquisition and management of lands owned or controlled by local, regional, or state agencies.
To the extent that adherence to these BMPs do not conflict with legislatively established management goals, objectives, requirements, or mandates, public agencies are required to incorporate these BMPs into management plans. In addition, to the greatest extent practical, public agencies are encouraged to incorporate the above BMP enhancements wherever applicable.
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