Cary and Four Creeks State Forests

This trip will be led by members of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry.

This group will tour by bus through Cary State Forest and observe areas under long-term restoration and timbering management by the Division of Forestry. They will learn about timbering plans; walk through natural seeding areas; observe interfaces with development, primitive camping sites, wetland restoration and increased uses by equestrians. Weather permitting the tour will also include observing an onsite prescribed burn. The tour continues to Four Creeks State Forest for a brief driving tour of this recent acquisition. Attendees will observe distinct differences with Cary State Forest due to the differing management practices over the years as Four Creeks was primarily used for industrial timbering.

Cary State Forest contains over 11,900 acres and offers the public a variety of passive, resource-based, recreational opportunities which include: hiking, primitive camping, wildlife viewing, horseback riding and hunting. The ecosystems on Cary State Forest are varied and include longleaf pine/wiregrass, mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, baygalls and cypress ponds. Cary State Forest is managed as a Wildlife Management Area by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Purchased by the State of Florida in 2005 and opened to the public in July of 2008, the 13,000 acre Four Creeks State Forest in Nassau County gets its name from the fact that it has four creeks within its boundaries, and those four creeks form the head waters of the Nassau River. Primary land use prior to management by the Division of Forestry concentrated on industrial (dense planting) timbering.

Note: Attendees should wear outdoor clothes and appropriate footwear for walks along trails or forested portions of the property.