The community boasts 40 percent green space and conservation areas, including 4.5 miles of nature trails. The land has been influenced by a variety of cultures, each shaping and contributing to its natural beauty.
Throughout SouthWood’s 3,300 acres, four habitat preserves are managed to provide suitable habitat preserves for the Sherman’s fox squirrel and the Southeastern American kestrel, the smallest member of the falcon family. The preserves feature lakes, forested and herbaceous wetlands, woodlands and open pasture areas. Management techniques for each preserve includes the control of invasive or exotic vegetation as defined by the Florida Committee on Invasive Plants, supplemental planting of desirable vegetation and the replanting of grass to provide buffers, forage, refuge or other beneficial functions. We also try to preserve as many dead trees or “snags” to serve as bird perches and feeding areas.
In addition to the four habitat preserves, JOE manages two mitigation areas around the SouthWood community – Shepherd’s Branch, which is in the southeast corners of SouthWood, and Oak Ridge, which is approximately three miles southwest of SouthWood. Management goals include maintaining or enhancing native plant and animal species, their communities and the ecological processes that sustain them and reducing the risk of wildfires. Vegetation management techniques include controlled burning, mechanical cutting and removal and applying herbicide.
JOE employs a full-time biologist who lives at SouthWood and takes a personal interest in preserving the natural resources that make the community so unique.