Deadhead Logging

What is Deadhead Logging?

The late 19th century brought countless changes to the face of Florida. The landscape of towering pine trees and expansive cypress swamps on the southerly peninsula invited new inhabitants and spawned new industries, including several northern logging companies. In those early years, armed with only an ax, loggers clear-cut the longleaf pine forests and harvested the giant cypress. Pines and cypress, some thousands of years old, and subsequent hand-cut logs were then rafted together and floated downriver to nearby sawmills.

It has been estimated that nearly 10% of these cut timbers sank while in transit and were lost to river bottoms where they were preserved by the cool water and lack of oxygen. Modern day artisans highly regard the wood that is milled from these pre-cut submerged timbers, or deadhead logs, because of their great strength, durability and resistance to rot. Wood from the sunken logs, revered for its tight grain and array of colors ranging from blond to caramel to black, is up to 10 times more valuable than conventional wood. It is used to make upscale paneling, flooring and furniture.

The state of Florida claims ownership of most of the logs since they are located on sovereign submerged lands. In 2000, a moratorium prohibiting deadhead logging was lifted, allowing loggers to retrieve deadhead logs from Florida water bodies upon authorization and according to specific legal and environmental conditions. However, logs that were originally branded by the logging companies may still be claimed by their original owners.

Today, the authorization is provided through DEP’s issuance of an environmental resource permit (ERP) from the Submerged Lands and Environmental Resource Permitting Program and through a use agreement from the Governor and Cabinet serving as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

What do you need to do to deadhead log?

1. Attend the Master Deadhead Logger Certification Training.
2. Apply for an ERP from DEP.
   • An ERP is valid for one year (13 months).
   • Complete Sections A, C and F of the Application for an Individual Environmental Resource Permit and Authorization to Use State-Owned Submerged Lands.
   • Submit the $420 permit processing fee.
3. Obtain authorization for the use of state lands through a Sovereign Submerged Lands Use Agreement for Recovery of Pre-Cut Timber.
   • An easement is valid for one year (the easement will have to renewed annually).
   • The fee for the easement is $5,500 (annually) plus an easement processing fee that is updated annually on March 1.
   • The holder of a easement must maintain liability insurance in the amount of $200,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for personal injury or death.
   • One easement per permit is required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact the following individuals in your local district office with any questions.

Visit Master Deadhead Logging Certification Training page for information on upcoming classes.