National Forests in Florida Final Report
South Atlantic Sandhills Xeric Longleaf Pine Woodland
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- Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Michauxs Gopher-apple / Southern Wiregrass - Curtis Spurge Woodland
South Atlantic Sandhills Xeric Longleaf Pine WoodlandElement Identifiers NVCS association: Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis - Quercus incana / Aristida beyrichiana - Baptisia perfoliata Woodland Database Code: CEGL007844 Formation: Rounded-crowned temperate or subpolar needle-leaved evergreen woodland Alliance: PINUS PALUSTRIS / QUERCUS SPP. WOODLAND ALLIANCE (II.A.4.N.a.1) Element Concept Summary: This association occurs in the xeric habitats of the sandhills and inner South Atlantic Coastal Plain of eastern and central Georgia and adjacent South Carolina and northeastern Florida. Pinus palustris forms an open to closed canopy. A scrub oak stratum of Quercus laevis, Quercus incana, and less typically Quercus margarettiae can manifest itself as a subcanopy or as a shrub layer, depending on fire regime, and occasional individuals may reach the canopy. The shrub layer can be sparse to dense and may contain Diospyros virginiana, Gaylussacia dumosa (= var. dumosa), Vaccinium stamineum, Sassafras albidum, Toxicodendron pubescens, Hypericum hypericoides, and scrub oak sprouts. Dominants of the herbaceous stratum include Aristida beyrichiana, Schizachyrium scoparium, Gelsemium sempervirens, and Tephrosia virginiana. Other characteristic herbs may include Baptisia perfoliata, Cnidoscolus stimulosus, Dichanthelium sp., Eriogonum tomentosum, Euphorbia sp., Nolina georgiana, Pityopsis aspera var. adenolepis (= Pityopsis adenolepis), Polygonella americana, Solidago odora var. odora, Sporobolus junceus, and Stylisma patens. Environment: See Summary Vegetation: Baptisia perfoliata serves a good nominal, in part, due to its narrow geographic range (restricted to South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida where it is found in only a single county). It may not be present or abundant in all stands ascribed to this type. Dynamics: In northeastern Florida, this type occurs in possibly only a single small patch on the Osceola National Forest. At this locality it is surrounded by more mesic flatwood vegetation which encroaches in the absence of fire. Given the small patch size of this sandhill, its fire-return interval may be naturally infrequent. Similar Associations: No information Synonymy: No information Comments: None Conservation Ranking & Rare Species GRank: G2G3 (98-12-17): This longleaf pine woodland association is found in a restricted range and is susceptible to forest conversion. It is limited to the sandhills of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida where it is part of the endangered Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, which once dominated the Coastal Plain landscape of the southeastern United States. It depends on frequent, low-intensity, growing-season fires to control understory vegetation and for the reproduction of Pinus palustris. Few sizable occurrence of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem remain in Georgia, and remaining occurrences of this type are generally small and degraded. Pinus palustris-dominated woodlands are susceptible to the effects of fire suppression, over-grazing, or conversion to commercial forest plantations or agriculture. Remaining examples are highly threatened by development, conversion, and alteration of fire regimes. Most of those occurrences which have not been destroyed are severely degraded, except for examples on military lands, where incidental burning has maintained more-or-less natural fire regimes. High-ranked species: No information Element Distribution Range: This association is known from the South Atlantic Coastal Plain of South Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida. States: FL GA SC Crosswalk to State Classifications: Not yet cross-referenced to state classifications TNC Ecoregions: 56:C USFS Ecoregions: 232Bn:CCP, 232Bq:CCC, 232Br:CC?, 232Ca:CCC Federal Lands: DOD (Fort Gordon); USFS (Osceola) Element Sources References: NatureServe Ecology - Southeast U.S. unpubl. data Longleaf Pine Sandhills Longleaf Pine / Turkey Oak / Michaux's Gopher-apple / Southern Wiregrass - Curtis' Spurge WoodlandElement Identifiers NVCS association: Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis / Licania michauxii / Aristida beyrichiana - Euphorbia curtisii Woodland Database Code: CEGL003583 Formation: Rounded-crowned temperate or subpolar needle-leaved evergreen woodland Alliance: PINUS PALUSTRIS / QUERCUS SPP. WOODLAND ALLIANCE (II.A.4.N.a.1) Element Concept Summary: This open Pinus palustris woodland with a scattered Quercus laevis subcanopy is found in the East Gulf Coastal Plain and adjacent areas of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain. Unlike other sandhills of the region, Quercus laevis is typically the only oak species present. A scattered shrub and herb layer of variable density is present. Characteristic shrubs include Serenoa repens, Licania michauxii, Gaylussacia dumosa, and Asimina angustifolia (= Asimina longifolia). Aristida beyrichiana is the single most dominant species in natural condition. In addition to the nominal species, other characteristic herbs include Euphorbia curtisii. These woodlands occur on Pleistocene sand ridges and old river bars in Florida, and from dry, sandy uplands in southwestern Georgia and panhandle Florida. Environment: The yellow or buff-colored soils on which this type occurs are classified as Quartzipsamments and are extremely well-drained and infertile. Vegetation: Although Quercus laevis is the most abundant and dominant oak species present (NatureServe unpubl. data, S. Carr unpubl. data), scattered individuals of other species may be infrequently present, including Quercus incana, Quercus hemisphaerica, and possibly others. Some examples which may represent this type reported from Fort Stewart, Georgia, may contain Quercus pumila. Other shrub species may include Rhus copallinum var. copallinum and Vaccinium arboreum. Eglin Air Force Base examples reportedly lack Dyschoriste oblongifolia. Aristida beyrichiana is the dominant herbaceous species, but other species recorded in plots of this vegetation type include Andropogon virginicus var. virginicus, Symphyotrichum concolor (= Aster concolor), Sericocarpus tortifolius (= Aster tortifolius), Commelina erecta, Cyperus lupulinus (= Cyperus filiculmis), several Dichanthelium spp., Eriogonum tomentosum, Euphorbia curtisii, Galactia microphylla, Lechea minor, several Liatris spp., Pityopsis graminifolia, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, Sporobolus junceus, and Tephrosia chrysophylla (S. Carr unpubl. data, NatureServe unpubl. data). Other sandhill species could include Bulbostylis ciliatifolia, Cnidoscolus stimulosus, Dalea pinnata var. pinnata, Euphorbia exserta, Euphorbia floridana, Opuntia humifusa, and Rhynchosia cytisoides. Dynamics: This community is pyrogenic with fire frequencies of 2-5 years (TNC 1990, FNAI 1990). Similar Associations: No information Synonymy: IB6b. Southeastern Coastal Plain Xeric Sandhill (Allard 1990) B. in part IB6c. Southeastern Coastal Plain Subxeric Pine - Oak Sandhill (Allard 1990) B. in part Comments: The nominals have been modified to better suggest the geographic range of this type. Croton argyranthemus was previously used as both an environmental indicator of xeric, sandy habitats and geographic distribution in the East Gulf and South Atlantic coastal plains. However, Croton argyranthemus also occurs in the West Gulf Coastal Plain, but more importantly ranges into central Florida. The new nominal, Euphorbia curtisii, has a similar range east of the Mississippi River but does not extend into the Florida peninsula (Wunderlin and Hansen n.d.). Some data for this association have been collected at Ichauway Plantation, southwestern Georgia. Conservation Ranking & Rare Species GRank: G3 (97-11-23): This longleaf pine woodland is restricted to Pleistocene sand ridges, old river bars, and similar areas from Florida to Georgia and west to Alabama. The yellow or buff-colored Quartzipsamment sands are extremely well-drained and infertile. It is part of the endangered Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, which once dominated the Coastal Plain landscape of the southeastern United States, and depends on frequent, low-intensity, growing-season fires to control understory vegetation and for the reproduction of Pinus palustris. Pinus palustris-dominated woodlands are susceptible to the effects of fire suppression, over-grazing, or conversion to commercial forest plantations or agriculture. Remaining examples are highly threatened by development, conversion, and alteration of fire regimes. This community is pyrogenic with fire frequencies of 2 to 5 years. Hurricanes commonly impact this type. Longleaf Pine - Turkey Oak Sandhills become increasingly dominated by oaks in the absence of fire. Threats to this community include fire suppression, lack of available Pinus palustris seed sources due to various historic timber management practices, and low-intensity winter fires which eliminate recently established pine seedlings without effectively impacting oaks. Most of those occurrences which have not been destroyed are severely degraded. High-ranked species: No information Element Distribution Range: This type ranges from southeastern Georgia into the north Florida Panhandle westward to Alabama. It may also occur in South Carolina and could range into the central Florida peninsula. States: AL FL GA SC? Crosswalk to State Classifications: FL: Sandhill, in part (FL 1992) TNC Ecoregions: 53:C, 56:C USFS Ecoregions: 232Bg:CCC, 232Bh:CCC, 232Ca:CCC, 232Dc:CCC Federal Lands: DOD (Eglin, Fort Stewart?); USFS (Apalachicola, Conecuh) Element Sources References: Allard 1990, Carr unpubl. data, FNAI 1990, FNAI 1992a, NatureServe Ecology - Southeast U.S. unpubl. data, TNC 1990, Wunderlin and Hansen n.d. Longleaf Pine Sandhills Directory: library library -> Strategic Plan South Sudan Country Office Context library -> The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh Selected Letters library -> Ieee/iee electronic Library (iel) library -> [0] B. Hardware [2] library -> [1] B. Hardware [1] library -> Florida public service commission library -> 1 1 before the florida public service commission 2 docket no. 070650-ei 3 In the Matter of: 4 petition to determine need for turkey point nuclear units 6 and 7 electrical 5 power plant, by florida power & light company library -> Archived Online Exhibit Download 3.16 Mb. 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