Mesic Hammock and Xeric Hammock Alexis Cardas

 Mesic Hammock

 Resources and Conditions:  well-developed evergreen hardwood forest  moist soil, well-drained  prefers fire exclusion  can arise in naturally pine-dominated areas  cooler, humid climate  important to wildlife  migratory birds Mesic Hammock

 Distribution and Status:  any landscape that offers fire protection  patches of oak/palm forest  river levees  ecotones  peninsulas of lakes  can occur as “islands” Mesic Hammock

Dry prairie with a patch mesic hammock River levee

Peninsula of a lake Ecotone – wetland and surrounding uplands

Floodplains

 Identification:  canopy typically closed  dominated by live oak  cabbage palm in canopy/subcanopy  shrubby understory  herb layer sparse to patchy  can have an emergent layer of pines (loblolly, slash) Mesic Hammock

Showing the oak litter, a few cabbage palms, and very sparse herb layer

Mesic Hammock Showing more of a closed canopy and very dense understory of shrubs

 Identification:  Northern hammocks  southern magnolia & pignut hickory  Southern hammocks  spanish moss & ferns  gumbo limbo & satinleaf Mesic Hammock

Southern mesic hammock range Northern mesic hammock range

  Live Oak  Cabbage Palm Common Canopy Plants

  Southern Magnolia  Pignut Hickory

 Common Canopy Plants  Gumbo Limbo  Satinleaf

Resurrection Fern Shoestring Fern Spanish Moss

 Common Understory Plants Saw Palmetto American Beautyberry American Holly

 Common Herb Layer Plants Low Panic Grasses Bracken Fern Witchgrasses

 Rare Plants Auricled Spleenwort Hammock Rein Orchid Pigmypipes

 Rare Animal Species Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Eastern Indigo Swallow-tailed Kite Crested Caracara

 Rare Animal Species Florida Panther Florida Long-tailed Weasel

 Common Animals  White-tailed deer  Eastern wood rat  Raccoon  Bobcat  Barred Owl  Woodcock  Florida box turtle  Southeastern five-lined skink  Florida worm lizard  Striped skunk

 Range:  Throughout FL peninsula  Extends northward to North Carolina  Westward through FL panhandle  Most common in Central FL Mesic Hammock

 Considerations :  disturbance from human activities  home sites, camp grounds, recreation areas  exotic invasive plants  air-potato, rosary pea, Japanese climbing fern, tropical soda apple  feral hogs  disturb soil and consume large amounts of oak mast  fire suppression = more common habitat Mesic Hammock

 Management and Restoration:  disturbance from human activity  limit development  land acquisition  landowner agreements  restrict off-road vehicles  exotic invasive plants  frequent hand removal  herbicides Mesic Hammock

 Management and Restoration:  feral hogs  impossible to remove entirely  reduce numbers by hunting  fire suppression  restore natural fire regimes to surrounding habitats  infrequent, low intensity fires are appropriate  prevents mesic hammock vegetation from spreading Mesic Hammock

 Good sites to visit:  Little Big Econ State Forest, Seminole County  Three Lakes WMA, Osceola County  Highlands Hammock State Park, Highlands County  Lake Panasofkee Outlet, Sumter County Mesic Hammock

 Xeric Hammock

 Resources and Conditions:  evergreen forest  well drained sandy soil  very shady habitat  fire exclusion  derive from sandhill, scrub, or scrubby flatwoods Xeric Hammock

 Distribution and Status:  can form extensive stands  also occur in smaller patches  found on high “islands” within flatwoods  well drained ridges  barrier islands Xeric Hammock

Smaller patches within scrub habitat

Barrier Island Ridges within a floodplain

 Identification:  low closed canopy  dominated by sand live oak  open understory  very shady  herb layer very sparse  soil covered with oak litter  emergent pine canopy (sand, slash, longleaf) Xeric Hammock

Xeric hammock, showing oak litter ground coverage, very open understory, and low canopy of sand live oak

 Common Canopy Plants Sand Live Oak Turkey Oak

 Common Canopy Plants Laurel Oak Ball Moss

 Common Understory Plants Black cherry Rusty Staggerbush Scrub Palmetto

 Common Herb Layer Plants Sandyfield Beaksedge Sweet Goldenrod

 Rare Animal Species Florida Pine Snake Short Tailed Snake Gopher Frog Gopher Tortoise

 Rare Animal Species Cooper’s Hawk Short Tailed Hawk Florida Black Bear

 Common Animals  Eastern Screech Owl  Turkey  Gray Squirrel  Eastern Flying Squirrel  White-tailed Deer  Hognose Snake  Barking Tree Frog  Red Rat Snake  Blue Jay  Eastern Mole

 Range:  most common in central peninsula  corresponds to scrub and sandhill  northward into Carolina’s and Mississippi Xeric Hammock

 Considerations:  humans enjoy this habitat  leads to disturbances  feral hogs disturb soil and natural vegetation  years of fire exclusion  dome of canopy established after only 7-16 years  taking over scrub habitat Xeric Hammock

 Management and Restoration:  human disturbance  limit development  land acquisition  land owner agreements  restrict recreational uses; off-road vehicles  feral hogs  may be impossible to entirely remove  numbers should be reduced by hunting Xeric Hammock

 Management and Restoration:  years of fire exclusion  restore low intensity winter burning regime to prevent xeric hammock vegetation from spreading  taking over scrub habitat  only a high, intense fire during dry conditions would be capable of killing the oaks once the canopy is established  mechanical removal of oaks  herbicides Xeric Hammock

 Good sites to visit:  Eglin Air Force Base  Troy Springs Conservation Area, Lafayette County  Lake Wales Ridge State Forest, Polk County  Welaka State Forest, Putnam County Xeric Hammock

 Mesic vs. Xeric Hammock Mesic hammock:  moist, well drained soil  dominated by live oak  large closed canopy  very dense shrubby understory  can arise in naturally pine dominated areas due to fire exclusion Xeric hammock:  well drained sandy soil  dominated by sand live oak  lower canopy, mostly closed  more open shrubby understory  typically arise from scrub, sandhills, and scrubby flatwoods due to fire exclusion