Sand pine and florida scrub-jays-an example of integrated adaptive management in a rare ecosystem

Abstract

Within the environment of semitropical central Florida emerges a confluence of two management needs between sand pine (Pinus clausa) and the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Each is a unique species adapted to extremely xeric scrub sites and commonly found on the Ocala National Forest. Since the 1940s, sand pine has been successfully regenerated after timber harvest within the constraints of managing for a low-value product on a poor site. In 1987, the Florida scrub-jay was designated federally threatened, and a recovery plan was developed in 1990 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Managers on the Ocala National Forest began to adapt sand pine management to accommodate habitat needs of the Florida scrub-jay. In recent years, scrub-jay habitat statewide has declined further and as the USFWS develops a revision to the 1990 Recovery Plan, National Forest managers are evaluating new management schemes to best provide scrub-jay habitat yet still manage sand pine.