Entities at odds over land clearing
A conservationist is upset with a governmental agency over property within the Silver Springs Forest Wildlife Management Area.
Local conservationist Guy Marwick was seeing red among the greenery in an area of the Silver Springs Forest Wildlife Management Area this week.
On Wednesday, Marwick, speaking by cellphone, said the St. Johns River Water Management District was “clear cutting” land that would be replanted as a “pine plantation.”
The area is on Highway 326, about ½ mile from the intersection with State Road 40 and near the Indian Lake State Forest. It is within the Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area.
Marwick, the founder of the Silver River Museum and founder/director of the Felburn Foundation, said the foundation had donated $250,000 to SJRWMD to help preserve the land.
“So, I have some skin in the game,” he said.
Danielle L. FitzPatrick, Regional Media and Communications Coordinator, Strategic Communications and Engagement with the district said the recent clearing in the area is part of a habitat restoration project aimed at restoring the property to its natural state.
“Over time, fire-sensitive, shade-tolerant plants have displaced the fire-adapted, sun-loving species that historically thrived in this ecosystem—a process known as mesophication. This shift alters habitat conditions,” FitzPatrick wrote in an email on March 26.
“The St. Johns River Water Management District is actively restoring the area by reintroducing longleaf pine, a species that once dominated this landscape. This effort will help reestablish the natural ecological balance and allow for the return of prescribed fire as a management tool. Fire plays a critical role in maintaining healthy, resilient landscapes by reducing invasive vegetation, promoting native plant growth, and improving wildlife habitat,” she wrote.
The district’s website has an entry posted July 7, 2023, that states: “An area within Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area totaling 165 acres will undergo a fuelwood harvest timber sale. Some internal roads may be impacted. When work is underway, please be careful with the logging trucks entering and exiting the property. The contract allows the work to be conducted through May 18, 2025. This work could impact hunting within the Silver Springs Forest Wildlife Management Area.”
The site also has an entry, dated March 4, with the title “Timber sale,” that states: “Areas within Silver Springs Forest Conservation Area totaling 330 acres will undergo a pine thinning to reduce tree density. This work will improve growing space for the best quality trees, thus maintaining and improving forest health. When work is under way, please watch for log trucks entering and exiting the property. Contracts allow for work to be conducted through Feb. 12, 2026. The project area is within the Wildlife Management Area and work could impact hunting.”
“They are just cutting everything down to the ground. They are trying to paint a rosy picture of a pine plantation but that is not good habitat for wildlife,” Marwick stated.
To learn more, go to sjrwmd.com/lands/#silver-springs-forest
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