[3] The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's management plan for Split Oak Forest is "is to restore and maintain the habitats critical to the long-term benefit of state and federally listed upland species, particularly the gopher tortoise.
"[4] A parkway extension project across the southern portion of the forest is proposed to provide vehicular access to an area of new development.
The wilderness area includes prairie and scrub habitat, including sandhill terrain, and is home to gopher tortoises, sandhill cranes, eastern indigo snakes, fox squirrels, butterflies, woodpeckers, kestrels, various songbirds,[5] and some rare plant species.
A Friends of Split Oak Forest group formed to try to protect the area from the intrusion of the road.
A conservation land swap is proposed to mitigate impact from the road and this plan has received support from county commissioners and Charles Lee of the Florida Audubon Society.