What is the Forest Legacy Program?
Florida is one of the many southern states to initiate a new program called Forest Legacy, which aims to protect and conserve important forests that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, such as development. Led by the Florida Division of Forestry, Forest Legacy will be an important tool for preserving Florida’s forests through the anticipated coming years of continued growth. Forest Legacy is distinct from other conservation programs in that it will focus specifically on important forest lands and will require a Stewardship Plan or a Multi-Resource Management Plan (MRMP) for each tract accepted into the program. Funded under the 1990 Forest Stewardship Act, Florida may use Forest Legacy funds to purchase conservation easements or land. The Division of Forestry plans to focus most of its efforts on the purchase of conservation easements as a way to ensure forest resources, to the greatest extent possible, remain economically viable in Florida. Priority consideration will be
