Florida Forever Marks 25 Years with Largest Conservation Easement in Program History

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As Florida Forever marks 25 years of conserving the state’s most important natural landscapes, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has secured the largest conservation easement in the program’s history, permanently protecting 61,525 acres of working forestland within the Ocala-to-Osceola Wildlife Corridor in Baker and Union counties.  

This conservation easement preserves a vast, intact landscape that connects Camp Blanding Military Reservation, the Raiford Wildlife Management Area and Osceola National Forest, closing the final major gap in a nearly 100-mile, 1.6-million-acre network of public and private conservation lands between the Ocala and Osceola national forests.  

“Florida Forever was created to protect landscapes like this one,” said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “Conserving this single-owner tract in perpetuity strengthens landscape-scale connectivity while allowing the land to remain in active forest management that supports the local economy.” 

The property protects forested wetlands, floodplain forests, basin swamps and headwaters, supporting water quality, flood protection and aquifer recharge across three major river basins, which are increasingly important as communities in the region continue to grow. The property also lies within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, providing permanent habitat connectivity for wide-ranging and imperiled species, including the bald eagle, red-cockaded woodpecker and eastern indigo snake. 

The conservation easement was acquired from Weyerhaeuser, one of the nation’s largest private timberland owners, and the property has been managed as working forestland for decades. It was approved by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet during a previous Cabinet meeting.  

“This is a simply tremendous outcome for everyone involved,” said Alex Littlejohn, Director of Conservation for Weyerhaeuser. “Environmental stewardship is fundamental to our operations, and this conservation easement was a unique opportunity to support wildlife habitat and connectivity at a huge scale while also continuing to support the local forest economy. This is one of the largest conservation projects we have ever delivered, and we want to thank all our partners — including state leadership and DEP — for helping secure an agreement that will benefit Floridians for many years to come.”   

Florida is at the forefront of the nation’s land protection efforts and continues to be a model for other land acquisition programs across the country. Through the Florida Forever Program, the state conserves land that provides environmental, recreational and preservation benefits, including water quality and quantity safeguards; resilience from storm impacts; habitat and species protections; national security; and outdoor recreation opportunities.