Community forests; purchase or establishment.

All counties, cities, towns, or school districts, through their governing boards, are hereby empowered to establish, from lands owned by such county, city, town, or school district in fee simple, or to acquire by purchase or gift, lands at present covered with forest or tree growth, or suitable for the growth of trees, and to administer the same under the direction of the Florida Forest Service, in accordance with the practice and principles of scientific forestry, for the benefit of the said counties, cities, towns, or school districts. Such tracts may be of any size suitable for the purpose but must be located within the county embracing the county, city, town, or school district, provided that it shall be requisite for the governing board availing itself of the provisions of this law to submit to the Florida Forest Service, and secure its approval of the area and location of any lands proposed to be acquired or used for the purposes of county, city, town, or school district forests.