Plant a Tree on your Birthday in The Apalachicola National Forest, Florida

Project Description

Twin Rivers State Forest is located along the banks of the Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers. The forest encompasses eastern Madison, western Hamilton and northwestern Suwannee counties in northern Florida. Historically, the junction of the Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers was an important point of commerce. In the 1800s, both rivers were used as major commercial routes, and steamboats were a common sight as they carried passengers, freight and mail.

In recent years, unhealthy forests have been major contributors to Florida’s disastrous wildfires and unprecedented outbreaks of southern pine beetles. Additionally, the region is frequently hit by strong storms and hurricanes, contributing to severe, long-term damage to forest resources. Longleaf pine forests and savannas have been drastically reduced from an estimated 90 million acres to less than 3 million acres due to factors such as over-utilization.

Your tree planting project will restore the Longleaf Pine overstory on this historically wooded site. Re-establishing the pine overstory will improve habitat for native wildlife species as well as provide watershed benefits, such as improved water filtration and erosion control, to the nearby rivers.