Ocala National Forest
| Ocala National Forest | |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Farles Prairie in Ocala National Forest
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| Location | Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | Ocala, FL |
| Coordinates | 29°10′25″N 81°49′18″W / 29.17361°N 81.82167°WCoordinates: 29°10′25″N 81°49′18″W / 29.17361°N 81.82167°W |
| Area | 430,447 acres (1,741.96 km2) |
| Established | 1908 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Ocala National Forest |
The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers 607 square miles (1,570 km2) of Central Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National Forest, established in 1908, is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan Indian term meaning "fair land" or "big hammock". The forest is headquartered in Tallahassee, as are all three National Forests in Florida, but there are local ranger district offices located in Silver Springs and Umatilla.
The Ocala National Forest lies between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers in Central Florida. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Marion, Lake, Putnam, and Seminole counties.
The Ocala National Forest is in the southeastern conifer forests and the Florida sand pine scrub ecoregions. Dry, sandy areas support Florida longleaf pine sandhills and Florida peninsula inland scrub. Longleaf pine sandhills are woodlands dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). Inland scrub consists of sand pines (Pinus clausa) growing amid shrublands of evergreen oaks. Both of these pine communities are sustained by frequent fires. The Ocala National Forest contains a high proportion of remaining inland scrub habitat and is noted for its sand pine scrub ecosystem. The forest contains the largest concentration of sand pine in the world as well as some of the best remaining stands of longleaf pine in central Florida. Where fire is absent, southern coastal plain oak domes and hammocks can grow. These are small stands of thick evergreen oaks.
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Wikipedia