About the Project

 

Closed phosphate mined lands are the most unused and lowest value land base in central Florida.  About 116,000 acres of currently underutilized reclaimed phosphate mined lands (mainly clay settling areas (CSAs)) in Polk County are crucial to the maintenance and expansion of commercial forestry and to development of biomass cofiring in central Florida.  Through an extraordinary collaboration with public and private partners, this project is identifying and developing 1) superior trees and 2) appropriate management practices for three commercial tree crops: cypress, cottonwood, & slash pine.  By 2005, this project will also 3) document the productivities of superior genotypes of these species and 4) estimate their economic value on CSAs  and overburden sites in Polk County.

 

The objectives of the cypress research are: 1) Identify the most productive cypress germplasm for planting on phosphate mined lands, 2) Develop seed orchards for the most productive genotypes, 3) Define management practices for cypress plantations on mined lands, and 4) Estimate the yield and economic viability of commercial cypress plantations.

 

Cottonwood research objectives include: 1) Identify the most productive cottonwood clones for planting on CSAs, 2) Establish clonal nurseries for the best clones, 3) Evaluate management practices for cottonwood plantations on mined lands, and 4) Estimate the yield, market, and economic viability of commercial cottonwood plantations.

 

In addition, slash pine research objectives are: 1) Expand comparison of  varieties from Queensland (QE) with varieties from north Florida (FE), 2) Extend assessment of varieties from the Caribbean (EH) families, 3) Test EH F₂ families, 4) Evaluate hybrids involving P. caribaea var. bahamensis (B) including EHxEB families, 5) Evaluate hybrids involving P. caribaea var. caribaea (C) and QE (EC), 6) Compare the performance of the families within these taxa with EH F₂ seed produced in a Queensland clonal seed orchard, 7) Develop recommendations for use of Queensland taxa in central Florida.

 

          Commercial Tree Crops for Phosphate Mined Lands is a five year project.  Funding comes from the Florida Institute for Phosphate (FIPR), University of Florida, IFAS and the School of Forestry, the Common Purpose Institute, the phosphate industry plus a number of private companies and individuals.

 

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