ANAMAR was contracted by the FWC to conduct a systematic survey and documentation of exotic plant occurrences within the Tide Swamp Unit and Jena Unit of Big Bend WMA. The Tide Swamp Unit borders the Gulf of Mexico just north of the Dixie and Taylor County line. This unit consists of 19,538 acres of costal hardwood and pine plantations. The Jena Unit borders the Gulf of Mexico southwest of Cross City. This 12,552 acre area consists of mixed hardwood/pine forest.
As per the scope of work, all delineated primary and secondary road margins extending out a distance of 15.2 meters (50 feet) from each outside road margin were surveyed to document the occurrence of exotic plant species, as determined by the most current listing of exotic species published by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). The survey was performed by a combination of vehicle and pedestrian surveys. Several field guides and taxonomic references were used to confirm species identification. The locations of all observed exotic plant occurrences were documented using a Trimble® GeoXT handheld GPS unit. This unit enables data collection with sub-meter accuracy utilizing WAAS technology and differential correction. Data were collected with ERSI ArcPad software with the GPScorrect extension and post-processed in the office at the end of each trip using Trimble® Pathfinder software. A final report was submitted that summarized the results of the survey, discussed various control and management strategies for each exotic species documented, and provided electronic and hard-copy ArcView GIS maps depicting locations of exotic occurrences.