Pine Flatwoods
Betsy Purdum
|
Dominated by slash pine with cabbage palm as an occasional subdominant.
The understory consists of saw palmetto, wax myrtle, and gallberry.
Fire maintains the flatwoods community by controlling competing
hardwoods. Natural fires have always been a component in the pine
flatwoods and species here are adapted to fire. Slash pine has
thick, insulating bark that protects it from the fire's heat.
Saw palmetto, gallberry, and wax myrtle resprout quickly and prosper
after a fire. Wild animals avoid the flames by fleeing or hiding
underground. Later, they benefit from the nutritious regrowth
of vegetation after a fire. Red-cockaded woodpeckers prefer to
nest in pine stands that are kept open by frequent fire.
Return
to Natural Communities
