…Taylor, Liberty, Nassau and Dixie counties were “critically dependent” on forestry, according to the most recent analysis by the University of Florida’s Food and Resource Economics Department, with the industry accounting for more than 20% of jobs in each. Amid the economic challenges, some timber owners in these communities turn to a copper-colored side hustle: pine straw. The woody needles can be raked annually, offering earlier, more consistent income than timber alone. Profit margins are slim, but generally enough to pay the land’s taxes: a compelling business for producers whose land is already planted in pine. …In a tumultuous timber market, baling pine straw can bail out landowners.

University of Florida: Managing Pine Stands for Straw Production