Apalachicola National Forest is the largest national forest in Florida, spanning more than 635,000 acres in the Panhandle and managed for both conservation and recreation. Established in 1936, it preserves a long human history that reaches back to Middle Woodland mound-building cultures in the Apalachicola basin, including sites tied to the Weeden Island tradition. Its landscapes range from longleaf pine sandhills and flatwoods to floodplains, blackwater rivers, wet prairies, basin swamps, and old-growth cypress. Fire is central to maintaining these ecosystems, especially habitat for the threatened red-cockaded woodpecker, and the forest remains an important refuge for diverse wildlife and wilderness areas.