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Video Presentations Online

Linking the Forest to the Bay

Tampa Bay's forests are crucial to maintaining the water quality of the bay and its tributaries, mitigating flooding and maintaining a diversity of natural plant and animal communities. At the same time these forest lands promote the physical health and quality of life of watershed residents. Despite these multiple benefits, forests in the Tampa Bay watershed continue to be at risk.

This program provides a science-based introduction to the role of Tampa Bay's watershed forest in promoting water quality and moderating peak stormwater flows. At the end of the program participants engaged in facilitated discussion to identify opportunities for enhancing forest protection during land use change and management that supports regional sustainability (see download at bottom of page - Outcomes From Group Discussion). (2008)

Opportunities to Incorporate the Ecological Values
of Forests During Land Use Change

We examined the causes of forest land conversion and its long – term consequences for supporting a sustainable society. Through examples drawn from Florida, the southeastern, mid – Atlantic and northwestern regions of the United States we’ll discuss land use planning laws and explore some of the innovative new programs that government, conservation organizations and industry are considering and implementing. The workshop concluded with a facilitated dialogue that considers the opportunities and constraints to forest conservation during land use change in Florida. (2009)

Annual Science, Management and Education eXchange -
Increasing Capacity for Collaboration

This was the first of our annual eXchange series in which all collaborators have the opportunity discuss and highlight the work that they are engaged in or have recently completed (science, management and education). This process allows attendees to recognize ongoing activities of common interest, support collaboration, disseminate ideas and programs that do not necessarily get wide public recognition, and identify those areas of interest that are not being addressed. (2009)

Planning for the Future of Your Family's Land

The Planning for the Future of Your Family’s Land Seminar was designed to help landowners begin discussions with their family regarding long term hopes and goals for their property and to understand options for keeping land in agriculture and forest production.

Seminar attendees reviewed the options to protect their family land. After attending the seminar, landowners were better able to initiate the planning process for how their land may be passed on to the next generation. They were able to define conservation easements and how these easements are appraised as well as understand financial and tax impacts of a donated or purchased conservation easement. Purchasing programs that are available for conservation easements and understanding the steps and costs to create a conservation easement were also be presented at the seminar. (2010)

American with Disabilities Act, Sidewalks and Trees – Resolving Conflicts

On July 27, 2011 the University of Florida IFAS – Hillsborough County Extension in cooperation with the City of Tampa Dept. of Parks and Recreation presented a symposium for urban planners, designers, engineers, public works/maintenance staff and foresters on the American with Disabilities Act’s requirements for sidewalks. The presentations addressed how to manage trees and large woody plants within pedestrian rights of way to meet ADA standards and how ADA might be amended to accommodate the hardscape designs needed to grow healthy tree cover in urban areas and reduce long term maintenance expenses.