1. Agricultural and Horticultural Enterprises

3. Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

I have always had a sweet tooth. While some folks prefer their sweetness in fruit or fruity candy, my go-to has always been chocolate. So, you can imagine my delight upon learning our national meeting for Extension natural resource agents would be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I just returned from the meeting last week, and [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_39379" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39379" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-soap-rotated.jpg"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" class="size-medium wp-image-39379 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-soap-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39379" class="wp-caption-text">Hotel bath soap at the Hershey Lodge is made with (and smells like) cocoa. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
I have always had a sweet tooth. While some folks prefer their sweetness in fruit or fruity candy, my go-to has always been chocolate. So, you can imagine my delight upon learning our <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/d7756766-0fc2-48a7-ad86-37743091f217/summary">national meeting</a> for Extension natural resource agents would be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I just returned from the meeting last week, and got a kick out of all the Hershey kiss-themed décor at our conference center, hotel rooms, and throughout the city. Even the shampoo and soap had cocoa in them!
<figure id="attachment_39383" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39383" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-pod.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-39383 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-pod-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39383" class="wp-caption-text">Cacao pods growing from a tree located in Hershey Gardens. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Chocolate is a serious business, though—from its beginnings as a ceremonial drink for the Mayans and Aztecs—to the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/economics-chocolate-180954224/">multi-billion-dollar industry</a> it is now. Like many products, it literally takes contributions from the whole world to make chocolate. I was rather fascinated to learn the origins of the chocolate-making process while visiting the <a href="https://hersheystory.org/">Hershey Museum</a> and <a href="https://www.hersheygardens.org/">Gardens</a>.
Chocolate starts with the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) and its beans. While native to the Amazonian region of South America, it can grow in nearly any equatorial region and is now predominantly farmed in West Africa. Cacao farms consist of leafy green trees, so they look more like rainforests than the open fields we are accustomed to in agriculture.
<figure id="attachment_39375" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39375" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/Cacao-blossoms-in-the-New-York-Botanical-Garden-Bronx.-Photo-by-Flickr-user-Kerry-Woods.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-39375 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/Cacao-blossoms-in-the-New-York-Botanical-Garden-Bronx.-Photo-by-Flickr-user-Kerry-Woods-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39375" class="wp-caption-text">Cacao blossoms exhibiting &#8220;cauliflory&#8221; as they grow directly from the trunk. Taken at the New York Botanical Garden. Photo credit: Kerry Woods, Flickr</figcaption></figure>
Interestingly, the cacao tree grows its flowers directly on the main trunk, exhibiting “cauliflory” just like the <a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2024/03/27/weekly-what-is-it-eastern-redbud/">Eastern redbuds</a> I highlighted a few weeks ago. The tree’s fruit, called pods, are the size and shape of smallish footballs. Inside are the cocoa beans, covered in a <a href="https://www.kew.org/plants/cacao-tree">gelatinous white pulp</a> that is also edible. The pulp has been described as having a “tropical” flavor reminiscent of mango, lychee, or peach, and is used in some places for jams, ice creams, and juices.
<figure id="attachment_39365" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39365" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-butter.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39365 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-butter-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39365" class="wp-caption-text">The beginning stages of chocolate making&#8211;from bean to cocoa butter and chocolate liquor. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Most of us are more familiar with the cocoa beans. Hershey, the 5th largest producer of chocolate in the world, started out using nearly every part of the cacao pod. After the seeds were removed, dried, and crushed for the chocolate-making process, they were separated out into “chocolate liquor” and cocoa butter.
<figure id="attachment_39369" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39369" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-mulch.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39369 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-mulch-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39369" class="wp-caption-text">Early in the history of Hershey&#8217;s chocolate, discarded cacao pods were crushed into mulch and sold to gardeners. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
The liquor is used in the actual chocolate-making process, and cocoa butter has been used over the years for products like soap, lotion, and shampoo. Early in the Hershey company’s history, they crushed the pods into mulch and sold it to gardeners.
<figure id="attachment_39367" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39367" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-can.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39367 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/cocoa-can-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39367" class="wp-caption-text">Early Hershey&#8217;s logos prominently featured a cacao pod. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Each tree grows about 30 pods per year. According to the Hershey Museum’s <a href="https://hersheystory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ChocolateMath.pdf">“Chocolate Math” curriculum</a>, each of those pods contains 30-50 beans. To make a pound of chocolate, you need 500 beans—so one average cacao tree will yield approximately 2 pounds of chocolate. With worldwide chocolate consumption hovering around <a href="https://damecacao.com/chocolate-statistics/#million_tons">16 billion pounds</a>, that’s a LOT of trees.
<figure id="attachment_39373" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39373" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/Cacao-tree-map-Kew-Gardens-1.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39373 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="189" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/05/Cacao-tree-map-Kew-Gardens-1-300x189.png"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39373" class="wp-caption-text">Map of worldwide cacao tree distribution. Diagram courtesy Kew Gardens.</figcaption></figure>
There have been headlines lately about <a href="https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/commodities/cocoa-prices">chocolate prices going up</a>. This is due to several factors, but in large part to climate change. While the trees already grow in hot regions, the increase in temperature is also <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-chocolate">increasing evapotranspiration rates</a>, drying them out faster. Drought conditions are devastating to these trees. Farmers are trying to adapt by growing the trees in the shade of larger trees or moving production up-slope to slightly cooler mountainsides. This, of course, requires clearing and planting in previously undisturbed rainforest, which can have a huge impact on wildlife and other ecosystem functions. Researchers are also working on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2405985422000313">newer varieties of cacao trees</a> that will be able to survive the changing climatic conditions.

Hotel bath soap at the Hershey Lodge is made with (and smells like) cocoa. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
I have always had a sweet tooth. While some folks prefer their sweetness in fruit or fruity candy, my go-to has always been chocolate. So, you can imagine my delight upon learning our national meeting for Extension natural resource agents would be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I just returned from the meeting last week, and got a kick out of all the Hershey kiss-themed décor at our conference center, hotel rooms, and throughout the city. Even the shampoo and soap had cocoa in them!
Cacao pods growing from a tree located in Hershey Gardens. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Chocolate is a serious business, though—from its beginnings as a ceremonial drink for the Mayans and Aztecs—to the multi-billion-dollar industry it is now. Like many products, it literally takes contributions from the whole world to make chocolate. I was rather fascinated to learn the origins of the chocolate-making process while visiting the Hershey Museum and Gardens.
Chocolate starts with the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) and its beans. While native to the Amazonian region of South America, it can grow in nearly any equatorial region and is now predominantly farmed in West Africa. Cacao farms consist of leafy green trees, so they look more like rainforests than the open fields we are accustomed to in agriculture.
Cacao blossoms exhibiting “cauliflory” as they grow directly from the trunk. Taken at the New York Botanical Garden. Photo credit: Kerry Woods, Flickr
Interestingly, the cacao tree grows its flowers directly on the main trunk, exhibiting “cauliflory” just like the Eastern redbuds I highlighted a few weeks ago. The tree’s fruit, called pods, are the size and shape of smallish footballs. Inside are the cocoa beans, covered in a gelatinous white pulp that is also edible. The pulp has been described as having a “tropical” flavor reminiscent of mango, lychee, or peach, and is used in some places for jams, ice creams, and juices.
The beginning stages of chocolate making–from bean to cocoa butter and chocolate liquor. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Most of us are more familiar with the cocoa beans. Hershey, the 5th largest producer of chocolate in the world, started out using nearly every part of the cacao pod. After the seeds were removed, dried, and crushed for the chocolate-making process, they were separated out into “chocolate liquor” and cocoa butter.
Early in the history of Hershey’s chocolate, discarded cacao pods were crushed into mulch and sold to gardeners. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
The liquor is used in the actual chocolate-making process, and cocoa butter has been used over the years for products like soap, lotion, and shampoo. Early in the Hershey company’s history, they crushed the pods into mulch and sold it to gardeners.
Early Hershey’s logos prominently featured a cacao pod. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Each tree grows about 30 pods per year. According to the Hershey Museum’s “Chocolate Math” curriculum, each of those pods contains 30-50 beans. To make a pound of chocolate, you need 500 beans—so one average cacao tree will yield approximately 2 pounds of chocolate. With worldwide chocolate consumption hovering around 16 billion pounds, that’s a LOT of trees.
Map of worldwide cacao tree distribution. Diagram courtesy Kew Gardens.
There have been headlines lately about chocolate prices going up. This is due to several factors, but in large part to climate change. While the trees already grow in hot regions, the increase in temperature is also increasing evapotranspiration rates, drying them out faster. Drought conditions are devastating to these trees. Farmers are trying to adapt by growing the trees in the shade of larger trees or moving production up-slope to slightly cooler mountainsides. This, of course, requires clearing and planting in previously undisturbed rainforest, which can have a huge impact on wildlife and other ecosystem functions. Researchers are also working on newer varieties of cacao trees that will be able to survive the changing climatic conditions.

I have always had a sweet tooth. While some folks prefer their sweetness in fruit or fruity candy, my go-to has always been chocolate. So, you can imagine my delight upon learning our national meeting for Extension natural resource agents would be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I just returned from the meeting last week, and […]

Weekly “What is it?”: Chocolate

Wetlands are beautiful, important, and valuable components of our ecosystems. But for a long time, they were considered little more than insect-riddled cesspools, places devoid of worth. While not everyone fully appreciates wetlands’ many contributions to human and planetary health, state and federal laws do outline protection for these fragile systems that surround us. But [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_35525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35525" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2022/12/gb-wetland-view.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-35525 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2022/12/gb-wetland-view-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35525" class="wp-caption-text">View of Santa Rosa Sound from the new wetland boardwalk. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Wetlands are beautiful, important, and valuable components of our ecosystems. But for a long time, they were considered little more than insect-riddled cesspools, places devoid of worth. While not everyone fully appreciates wetlands’ many contributions to human and planetary health, state and federal laws do outline protection for these fragile systems that surround us.
<figure id="attachment_39231" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39231" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/bridge-wet.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39231 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/bridge-wet-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39231" class="wp-caption-text">Master Naturalist students crossing a bridge in Blackwater State Forest. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
But how do you define a wetland? The <a href="https://floridadep.gov/water/submerged-lands-environmental-resources-coordination/content/wetland-evaluation-and">Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)</a> describes them as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils.” Breaking this down in regular English, wetlands are areas dominated by wet (or signs of wet) soils and specific plants adapted to those soils. While soggy coastal marshes are pretty easy to recognize, freshwater wetlands can be more complicated. Besides the incredible diversity of vegetative species found in them, disturbance from construction, interruption of natural water sources, drainage, and erosion can make them hard to recognize.
<figure id="attachment_39235" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39235" style="width: 185px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/wet-signature.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39235 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="185" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/wet-signature-185x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39235" class="wp-caption-text">A satellite image near Blackwater State Forest shows the wetland signatures (branched, dark green areas) present in the landscape. Screenshot, Apple Maps</figcaption></figure>
My Sea Grant colleagues and I are currently teaching a <a href="https://masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/become-a-master-naturalist/master-naturalist-courses/">freshwater wetlands Master Naturalist class</a>. Included in the course have been trips to pitcher plant prairies, cypress and gum swamps, and rivers. Yesterday, we had a colleague and longtime wetlands consultant demonstrate how he determines whether a piece of property includes wetlands or not, and where to draw the line between wetlands and uplands.
This process of <a href="https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/delineationmanual.pdf">wetland delineation</a> requires a lot of background knowledge and several important tools. To begin with, you want to start with soil maps and satellite imagery. These will show wetland signatures—often appearing as darker routes of water—along a creek or riverbed. Soil maps describe the texture and water-holding capacity of hundreds of named soil types, which are divided up geographically into very specific parcels of land.
<figure id="attachment_39233" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39233" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/buttressed-trunks.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39233 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/buttressed-trunks-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39233" class="wp-caption-text">The flared shape of wetland trees in standing water is called &#8220;buttressing&#8221; and is a hydrologic indicator of wetland habitats. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
After initial analysis comes the ground-truthing. To truly evaluate a wetland’s boundaries, it’s necessary to go onsite and walk the whole area. The easiest way to corroborate those first guesses at a wetland boundary is to start looking at the vegetation. There are hundreds of groundcover, shrub, and tree types recognized as wetland species. If these dominate the landscape, odds are you’re in a wetland. Other signs of water, known as “hydrological indicators,” like buttressed trunks, crayfish mounds, or water lines yield clues about water’s presence. Sometimes, an area will have been cleared of vegetation before its proper evaluation, which are why understanding soils is so important.
<figure id="attachment_39227" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39227" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/wet-delin-4.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39227 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/wet-delin-4-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39227" class="wp-caption-text">Sean O&#8217;Toole, wetlands consultant, describes how he examines soils during a wetland evaluation. On the ground is a Munsell soil color chart. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
To evaluate soils, wetland consultants use a soil probe or a long spade that will allow them to remove a sample of soil and evaluate its color and texture. In general, wetland soils are darker and slicker than others, although a handful of other indicators can show wetland properties in relatively sandy soil. Soil color can be compared on a Munsell color chart, which is like comparing wetland-associated paint chips.
Once a stretch of land is identified as a wetland, consultants will generally mark it physically by tying plastic tape around trees, outlining the entire parcel to differentiate it between adjacent uplands. From there, a digital GPS-based map is created that can be easily translated into construction plans and permits.

View of Santa Rosa Sound from the new wetland boardwalk. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Wetlands are beautiful, important, and valuable components of our ecosystems. But for a long time, they were considered little more than insect-riddled cesspools, places devoid of worth. While not everyone fully appreciates wetlands’ many contributions to human and planetary health, state and federal laws do outline protection for these fragile systems that surround us.
Master Naturalist students crossing a bridge in Blackwater State Forest. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
But how do you define a wetland? The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) describes them as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils.” Breaking this down in regular English, wetlands are areas dominated by wet (or signs of wet) soils and specific plants adapted to those soils. While soggy coastal marshes are pretty easy to recognize, freshwater wetlands can be more complicated. Besides the incredible diversity of vegetative species found in them, disturbance from construction, interruption of natural water sources, drainage, and erosion can make them hard to recognize.
A satellite image near Blackwater State Forest shows the wetland signatures (branched, dark green areas) present in the landscape. Screenshot, Apple Maps
My Sea Grant colleagues and I are currently teaching a freshwater wetlands Master Naturalist class. Included in the course have been trips to pitcher plant prairies, cypress and gum swamps, and rivers. Yesterday, we had a colleague and longtime wetlands consultant demonstrate how he determines whether a piece of property includes wetlands or not, and where to draw the line between wetlands and uplands.
This process of wetland delineation requires a lot of background knowledge and several important tools. To begin with, you want to start with soil maps and satellite imagery. These will show wetland signatures—often appearing as darker routes of water—along a creek or riverbed. Soil maps describe the texture and water-holding capacity of hundreds of named soil types, which are divided up geographically into very specific parcels of land.
The flared shape of wetland trees in standing water is called “buttressing” and is a hydrologic indicator of wetland habitats. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
After initial analysis comes the ground-truthing. To truly evaluate a wetland’s boundaries, it’s necessary to go onsite and walk the whole area. The easiest way to corroborate those first guesses at a wetland boundary is to start looking at the vegetation. There are hundreds of groundcover, shrub, and tree types recognized as wetland species. If these dominate the landscape, odds are you’re in a wetland. Other signs of water, known as “hydrological indicators,” like buttressed trunks, crayfish mounds, or water lines yield clues about water’s presence. Sometimes, an area will have been cleared of vegetation before its proper evaluation, which are why understanding soils is so important.
Sean O’Toole, wetlands consultant, describes how he examines soils during a wetland evaluation. On the ground is a Munsell soil color chart. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
To evaluate soils, wetland consultants use a soil probe or a long spade that will allow them to remove a sample of soil and evaluate its color and texture. In general, wetland soils are darker and slicker than others, although a handful of other indicators can show wetland properties in relatively sandy soil. Soil color can be compared on a Munsell color chart, which is like comparing wetland-associated paint chips.
Once a stretch of land is identified as a wetland, consultants will generally mark it physically by tying plastic tape around trees, outlining the entire parcel to differentiate it between adjacent uplands. From there, a digital GPS-based map is created that can be easily translated into construction plans and permits.

Wetlands are beautiful, important, and valuable components of our ecosystems. But for a long time, they were considered little more than insect-riddled cesspools, places devoid of worth. While not everyone fully appreciates wetlands’ many contributions to human and planetary health, state and federal laws do outline protection for these fragile systems that surround us. But […]

Weekly “What is it?”: Wetland delineation

Florida is blessed with an abundance of ecologically diverse state parks. Among them are opportunities to hike, camp, and see wildlife lush forests and wide-open savannas or fish, swim, and paddle through pristine bayous and rivers. One park worth spending time in this time of year is Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve. Yes, that’s “Tar-KILN” not [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_39181" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39181" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarpines.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39181 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarpines-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39181" class="wp-caption-text">Native pine trees put the Tarkiln property on the map for early European settlers. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Florida is blessed with an abundance of ecologically diverse state parks. Among them are opportunities to hike, camp, and see wildlife lush forests and wide-open savannas or fish, swim, and paddle through pristine bayous and rivers.
<figure id="attachment_39183" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39183" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/Tar-kiln-illustration-from-NPS.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39183 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="199" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/Tar-kiln-illustration-from-NPS-300x199.png"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39183" class="wp-caption-text">Illustration of the tar kilns used to process sap from pines in the 1800&#8217;s. Courtesy of National Park Service.</figcaption></figure>
One park worth spending time in this time of year is Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve. Yes, that’s “Tar-KILN” not “Tar-KLIN” as I hear often—this area was known for many years as a place of<a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/tarkiln-bayou-preserve-state-park/history"> processing pine tar from the native yellow pine</a> in the area. Many products were made from tapping the bark and collecting sap from pines, including tar, pitch, and pine, a collection of compounds called “naval stores” that were used to help waterproof wooden ships. To process tar from the trees, the resin-rich cores of pine trees were placed in stacks and burned, releasing liquid tar into barrels. These were the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/mocr/learn/historyculture/naval-stores-in-north-carolina.htm">“kilns” used to extract tar</a>, and they were located all around the peninsula.
<figure id="attachment_39187" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39187" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tar-two-paths.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39187 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tar-two-paths-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39187" class="wp-caption-text">Not far from the park entrance, two paths emerge. To the left is an ADA-compliant 1-mile up and back paved path; to the right a dirt/grass path that goes for about 6.5 miles. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/tarkiln-bayou-preserve-state-park/history">Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve is one of the newer state parks</a> in Florida. Left relatively undisturbed since the end of the pine processing days of the mid-20th century, the property was eventually slated for a huge development project (1,300 homes, a golf course, and a marina). A “Friends of the Prairie” group purchased 900 acres in the mid 1990’s, which was then taken on by The Nature Conservancy. After a community-wide support effort including a letter-writing campaign from local 2nd graders, the state took over the land almost exactly 26 years ago, creating Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve.
<figure id="attachment_39191" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39191" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarkiln-sundew-1-rotated.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39191 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarkiln-sundew-1-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39191" class="wp-caption-text">The small red pinwheel-shaped plants are carnivorous sundews. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
Part of the Big Lagon State Park system, Tarkiln has two separate trails. One is just at a mile long (round-trip) and more accessible, paved or boardwalked all the way from the parking lot to the bayou. A longer vegetated foot path, the Perdido Bay Trail, extends 6.5 miles through longleaf pine forest and wetland habitats.
Currently in the sunniest and wettest spots in the park, you’ll see carnivorous plants in flower. A large percentage the park is considered wetlands, and their waterlogged, acidic soils are prime habitat for pitcher plants and sundews.
<figure id="attachment_39193" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39193" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarkiln-dead-bay.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39193 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="225" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/tarkiln-dead-bay-225x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39193" class="wp-caption-text">Sadly, native red bay trees are dying in our forests due to an insect-borne fungal disease. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
As you move past the more open prairies and closer to the boardwalk on the shorter trail, you’ll wind through forested swamp. Species diversity increases, transitioning from a primarily pine overstory to sweet bay magnolia, wax myrtle, bald cypress, titi, and blackgum trees. In contrast to the bright green spring growth on most trees, there are several dead swamp bay trees that have turned an ominous shade of brown. These trees have been hit with laurel wilt, a fungus brought in by borer insects that specifically infest trees in the Persea genus. Of particular interest is that this disease affects avocado trees, Persea americana.
<figure id="attachment_39195" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39195" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/Tarkiln-banner.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-39195 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/files/2024/04/Tarkiln-banner-300x225.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39195" class="wp-caption-text">Tarkiln Bayou is a remote and peaceful body of water surrounded by protected wetlands. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension</figcaption></figure>
At the end of the boardwalk, the vegetation transforms from freshwater species to saltwater marsh. The <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/bayou">bayou</a> is ringed with black needlerush and buffered by more than <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/tbp-brochure.pdf">4,200 acres preserved</a> since the original acquisition in the 90’s.
The park is open year-round, and rangers offer several popular guided walks every winter. For more information, check out the <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/tarkiln-bayou-nature-walks">Florida State Parks website</a>.
&nbsp;

Native pine trees put the Tarkiln property on the map for early European settlers. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Florida is blessed with an abundance of ecologically diverse state parks. Among them are opportunities to hike, camp, and see wildlife lush forests and wide-open savannas or fish, swim, and paddle through pristine bayous and rivers.
Illustration of the tar kilns used to process sap from pines in the 1800’s. Courtesy of National Park Service.
One park worth spending time in this time of year is Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve. Yes, that’s “Tar-KILN” not “Tar-KLIN” as I hear often—this area was known for many years as a place of processing pine tar from the native yellow pine in the area. Many products were made from tapping the bark and collecting sap from pines, including tar, pitch, and pine, a collection of compounds called “naval stores” that were used to help waterproof wooden ships. To process tar from the trees, the resin-rich cores of pine trees were placed in stacks and burned, releasing liquid tar into barrels. These were the “kilns” used to extract tar, and they were located all around the peninsula.
Not far from the park entrance, two paths emerge. To the left is an ADA-compliant 1-mile up and back paved path; to the right a dirt/grass path that goes for about 6.5 miles. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve is one of the newer state parks in Florida. Left relatively undisturbed since the end of the pine processing days of the mid-20th century, the property was eventually slated for a huge development project (1,300 homes, a golf course, and a marina). A “Friends of the Prairie” group purchased 900 acres in the mid 1990’s, which was then taken on by The Nature Conservancy. After a community-wide support effort including a letter-writing campaign from local 2nd graders, the state took over the land almost exactly 26 years ago, creating Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve.
The small red pinwheel-shaped plants are carnivorous sundews. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Part of the Big Lagon State Park system, Tarkiln has two separate trails. One is just at a mile long (round-trip) and more accessible, paved or boardwalked all the way from the parking lot to the bayou. A longer vegetated foot path, the Perdido Bay Trail, extends 6.5 miles through longleaf pine forest and wetland habitats.
Currently in the sunniest and wettest spots in the park, you’ll see carnivorous plants in flower. A large percentage the park is considered wetlands, and their waterlogged, acidic soils are prime habitat for pitcher plants and sundews.
Sadly, native red bay trees are dying in our forests due to an insect-borne fungal disease. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
As you move past the more open prairies and closer to the boardwalk on the shorter trail, you’ll wind through forested swamp. Species diversity increases, transitioning from a primarily pine overstory to sweet bay magnolia, wax myrtle, bald cypress, titi, and blackgum trees. In contrast to the bright green spring growth on most trees, there are several dead swamp bay trees that have turned an ominous shade of brown. These trees have been hit with laurel wilt, a fungus brought in by borer insects that specifically infest trees in the Persea genus. Of particular interest is that this disease affects avocado trees, Persea americana.
Tarkiln Bayou is a remote and peaceful body of water surrounded by protected wetlands. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
At the end of the boardwalk, the vegetation transforms from freshwater species to saltwater marsh. The bayou is ringed with black needlerush and buffered by more than 4,200 acres preserved since the original acquisition in the 90’s.
The park is open year-round, and rangers offer several popular guided walks every winter. For more information, check out the Florida State Parks website.

Florida is blessed with an abundance of ecologically diverse state parks. Among them are opportunities to hike, camp, and see wildlife lush forests and wide-open savannas or fish, swim, and paddle through pristine bayous and rivers. One park worth spending time in this time of year is Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve. Yes, that’s “Tar-KILN” not […]

Weekly “What is it?”: Tarkiln Bayou State Preserve

Management and Conservation of Wildlife

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distinguished teaching scholar and professor emeritus, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville, FL. <a href="https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/wec-faculty/susan-jacobson/">WEC profile</a>

Jacobson, Susan K

Iannone, Basil V.

senior lecturer and director, Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute, UF/IFAS&nbsp;School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences <a href="http://sfrc.ufl.edu/people/faculty/dain-jonathan/">profile</a>

Dain, Jonathan

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A Scientific Framework for Managing Urban Natural Areas

Basic Steps to Creating a Conservation Land Trust in Florida

Environmental Deterioration and Conservation in Cuban Agriculture

Improving, Restoring, and Managing Natural Resources in Florida: Sources of Technical Assistance for Urban Homeowners

Improving, Restoring, and Managing Wildlife Habitat in Florida: Sources of Technical Assistance for Rural Landowners

Protecting Natural Areas During Development: Four Spatial Considerations to Maximize their Benefits

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