Community Forestry
in the South

Recognizing the healing benefits of time outdoors, the USDA Forest Service and other organizations collaborated to create the UF Health Children's Healing Garden - a space where patients and their families can lift their spirits and connect with nature. The garden is a certified Nature Explore Classroom, part of a national network of outdoor plan and learning spaces.

The Track Trails program, with various trails and adventures in states across the country, now has its first trails in Florida in the city of Gainesville. Self-guided trails have been constructed at three different community parks: Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park, Loblolly Woods Nature Park and Morningside Nature Center, with two additional trails currently in the works.

The Kids in the Woods program in Gainesville, Florida delivers science instruction to middle school students through a series of hands-on activities outdoors on the school campus and in a nearby nature park. This article reports on the results of a 10-question pre-post assessment of students’ knowledge of the scientific process. Participants included 201 6th grade students at a public middle school participating in the...