Florida natural resources

Answer 1

Florida's wetlands, forests and agriculture remain vital to the state's overall health.

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Naming Florida's Natural Resources comes easily for anyone familiar with Everglades National Park. The state's tropical environment draws thousands of tourists each year. As defined by the Random House Dictionary, a "natural resource" refers to "the natural wealth of a country, consisting of land, forests, mineral deposits, water, etc." According to this definition, Florida is one of the country's wealthiest states. The Sunshine State has wetlands, citrus crops, forests and a lack of freshwater that seems to affect everything

1. Wetlands

   • Defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as "lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor," wetlands remain a high priority for the state of Florida and the federal government. At one time, wetlands covered approximately two-thirds of Florida. The Everglades, one of the world's largest wetlands, previously spread 60 miles wide. Wetlands naturally experience annual floods and droughts. In the late 1940s, however, the Army Corps of Engineers created a system of 1,600 canals to prevent flooding. Altering the wetland, in this way, negatively affected the eco-system. Today, the Everglades spreads only 30 miles. A 50-year effort is currently underway to restore the Everglades through the combined efforts of scientists, biologists, water management professionals, Florida State Park officials and federal agencies.

   Forests

   • Sitting on a Florida beach, you may not think of forests as one of the state's natural resources, but Florida forests cover almost half of the state, with more than 1 million acres protected in 35 Florida State Forests. As a natural resource, Florida forests remain vital for clean air, wildlife habitats and wood production. The state has the widest variety of trees in the continental United States, making forest preservation even more important. Trees found in Florida include the pine, maple, hickory, oak, ash, magnolia, gum, basswood and locust as well as many tropical varieties. Wildfires and insects are the biggest threat to the state's trees. The Florida Division of Forestry aggressively promotes wildfire education and prevention measures because of the dangerous combination of sweltering temperatures and dwindling freshwater.

   Agriculture

   • Farming remains a staple for Florida's economy. Oranges, sugar and beef remain the state's top agricultural products. In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, Florida's Division of Fruit and Vegetables inspected more than 9 million tons of fruit and vegetables, valued at more than $2 billion, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Struggles with maintaining enough freshwater for the state's 6 million residents in addition to the water needed for agriculture has provided a challenge in past years. Solving the problem is vital to Florida's economy considering the more than 750,000 Florida jobs that depend on the state's agricultural industry and the more than $33 billion earned through the export of agricultural products (2007 statistics), according to information published by the University of Florida's Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Answer 2

Sugar

Oranges

Beef

Seafood

and Natural Spring Water