- The University of Florida purchased 2,660 acres called Hickory Sink Forest to create a new teaching forest for its School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences in 2025.
- Land manager Cully Lord began infrastructure work in June 2026 including fire breaks and fencing removal to transform the habitat with prescribed burns and invasive species control.
- Hickory Sink Forest offers diverse sandhill and karst terrain for research, with plans to open for special events and an open house in October 2026.
When the University of Florida spent $39 million in Florida Legislature funding to buy 550 acres for a 36-hole championship golf course, the Gators also acquired another 2,660 acres as part of the deal.
Those extra acres, called the Hickory Sink Forest, now provide UF’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFCS) with a generational opportunity to create a new teaching forest for students, researchers and the public while doubling the acreage managed by the school.
It’s an opportunity to draft and build a conservation plan and test the results. That’s what drew land manager Cully Lord to the job from the city of Gainesville’s natural resources division…