Resources

Important Links

Agencies and Organizations:

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: Visit the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website for information about tags, titles and driver’s licenses as well as handbooks, manuals and other related matters of interest.

Florida Department of Transportation: This website covers a variety of state transportation issues.

Florida Forest Service: In addition to managing over one million acres of state forests for multiple public uses including timber, recreation and wildlife habitat, the Florida Forest Service also provide services to landowners throughout the state with technical information and grant programs.

Forest Products Network: The Forest Products Network provides directories of mills and primary/secondary forest manufacturers.

Forest Resources Association: The Forest Resources Association (FRA) represents the entire wood supply chain on the federal level.

Forest Stewardship Program: The Forest Stewardship Program addresses the improvement and maintenance of timber, wildlife, soil and water, recreation, aesthetics, as well as forage resources.

Society of American Foresters: The mission of the Society of American Foresters is to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and to use our knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity.  The Society of American Foresters sets the standard in forest management, bringing science, best practice, and the best people together to actively shape the future of the profession.

Team Safe Trucking: TEAM Safe Trucking (TST) is a non-profit volunteer group seeking to elevate the standard and performance of the American forest industry’s log trucking sector. Their mission is to reduce accidents through enhanced driver training and effective fleet management and to recruit new, safety-focused drivers to deliver a sustainable and profitable supply chain.

University of Florida School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences (FFGS): FFGS is a unit within the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). It is home to three distinct, yet integrated, program areas: forest resources and conservation, fisheries and aquatic sciences, and geomatics. Its faculty, staff, and students conduct research, teaching, and extension that cuts across a wide range of environments and disciplines.

Important Statutes:

Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Act
Right to Farm Act
Florida Agricultural Lands and Practices Act

Department of Revenue TIP Sheets:

Sales Tax Exemption for Power Farm Equipment Including Parts, Accessories and Repairs
What qualifies?
Examples of qualifying “power farm equipment” include but are not limited to: augers, combines, conveyors, disks, dozers, feeding systems, forklifts, generators, harrows, hay balers, irrigation motors, mowers, plows, power units, pumps, refrigeration equipment, skidders, and tractors.
Examples of qualifying parts and accessories include but are not limited to: tires, batteries, radios, global positioning systems, replacement parts, blades, disks, hoses, pumps, sprinkler heads, conveyor belts, lubricants, and gauges.

Click here to learn more.
Click here for the related DOR rule.

Sales Tax Exemption for Fencing and Trailers Used in Agricultural Production
What qualifies?
Hog wire and barbed wire fencing (including gates and materials used to build or repair the fences) and trailers purchased exclusively for agricultural production, when purchased by the farmer or forestland owner. Examples of materials include welded or barbed wire, hog or barbed wire fence roles, lumber or steel for posts or rails, nails, screws, hinges, and concrete consisting of premixed dry mortar or other components.

Who qualifies?
Farmers and forest landowners.

Click here to learn more.

Sales Tax Exemption for Industrial Machinery and Equipment
What qualifies?
Industrial machinery and equipment used at a fixed location in Florida by an eligible manufacturing business that will manufacture, process, compound, or produce for sale items of tangible personal property

Who qualifies?
Any business whose primary business activity at the location where the industrial machinery and equipment are located is within the industries classified under manufacturing NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes 31, 32, and 33.
Examples of types of manufacturing establishments represented by the applicable NAICS codes include, but are not limited to, food, apparel, wood, paper, printing, chemical, pharmaceutical, plastic, rubber, metal, transportation, and furniture.

What does “primary business activity” mean?
That activity which represents more than 50 percent of the activities conducted at the location where the industrial machinery and equipment are located.

Click here to learn more.

(Sample exemption certificates are included in each link.)

SECTION 404 SILVICULTURE EXEMPTION NOTIFICATION

Since the last update regarding the process for submitting the Silviculture Exemption Notice to a Water Management District (WMD), we have received additional information. We have listed suggestions below:

Option 1:
Whether on a cover letter (for mailed NOIs) or somewhere on the online application (if submitting online), you must include the following statement: “This activity is exempt under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and (insert ‘landowners name) does not desire a Section 404 review.”

Option 2:
Submit the Notice without the cover letter, as was the previous practice. If you receive the following questions (or something similar) from a WMD in response to your submittal, you should answer as follows:

Question: Would you like a Section 404 co-review with FDEP?

Answer: No, I would not like a Section 404 co-review with FDEP.

Question: Would you like a letter verifying that this application meets the exemption?

Answer: No, I am not requesting a letter verifying that this application meets the exemption requirements – this is notification as per 62-330.0511

Note: You may or may not receive either of these questions following your Notice submittal, depending on the WMD reviewer.If you have any questions, concerns or other problems regarding the Silviculture Exemption Notice to any WMD, please contact Brittany Hough, Director of Forestry and Regulatory Affairs ([email protected] or 850.222.5646).

Learn more.

Forest Management

Southern Forest and Tree Health Diagnostics Forum
Hosted by a group of forest and tree health specialists with Southeastern universities and agencies, this form will help identify pests and diseases in your forest or your backyard, and to recommend a solution, if appropriate. Join the group and report your tree health issue! Visit the new Forest Health Diagnostic forum on Facebook.


Your Forest Managed
Forest management helps you get the most from your land. The Florida Forest Service has resources to help.


Other
Tree Identification Resources (Thanks, Logan!)