Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site F154XA004FL
Moist Sandy Pine-Hardwood Woodlands
Last updated: 2/21/2024
Accessed: 11/13/2024
General information
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 154X–South-Central Florida Ridge
MLRA 154 is entirely in Peninsular Florida, and contains 8,285 square miles. The landscape of MLRA 154 is characterized by a series of parallel, prominent sandy ridges of Pleistocene marine origin, including the Brooksville and Mount Dora Ridges. These North to South oriented parallel ridges are interspersed with more low lying physiographic provinces, including: upland hills, plains, valleys and gaps (Puri and Vernon 1964). The extreme western portion of the MLRA consists of thin belt of coastal lowlands and marshlands.
Many of the soils of MLRA 154 are Pleistocene or Holocene sands that are underlain with older, loamy Pliocene marine sediments (Cypresshead formation) or the clayey Miocene marine sediments (Hawthorne formation). A combination of marine depositional events and the dissolution of underlying limestone (karst geology) is responsible for surficial topography throughout Peninsular Florida.
Classification relationships
All portions of the geographical range of this site falls under the following ecological / land classifications including:
-Environmental Protection Agency’s Level 3 and 4 Ecoregions of Florida: 75 Southern Coastal Plain; 75c Central Florida Ridges and Uplands (Griffith, G. E., Omernik, J. M., & Pierson, S. M., 2013)
-Florida Natural Area Inventory, 2010 Edition: Sandhill - mesic variant, Upland Pine, Upland Mixed Woodland, and Upland Hardwood Forest (FNAI, 2010)
Ecological site concept
Soils of the Moist Sandy Pine-Hardwood Woodlands are deep, yellow, and acidic. They are variously classified as sandy, sandy over loamy, or sandy over clayey upland soils. The map unit components occur on slopes of < 8% (ranging up to 12%). This concept includes very deep, somewhat poorly drained to well drained map units (Adamsville, Albany, Apopka, Arredondo, Blanton, Bonneau, Chipley, Duplin, Florahome, Fort Meade, Jumper, Kendrick, Lochloosa, Lutterloh, Mabel, Masaryk, Micanopy, Millhopper, Moriah, Nobleton, Norfolk, Ocilla, Orlando Variant, Otela, Ridgewood, Seffner, Sparr, Sumterville, Tavares, Troup, Wadley, and Wicksburg). This site is extensive on the Brooksville Ridge, Cotton Plant Ridge, Mount Dora Ridge, Northern Highlands, Ocala Hill, Marion Upland, and Sumter Upland physiographic units, and to a lesser extent in the Central and Western Valleys. The overall extent of this site is approximately 600,000 acres.
This concept is distinct because of its native condition (i.e., reference site vegetation), component soils, successional patterns, and wildlife habitat. Reference site vegetation of this site is edaphically supported by very deep, yellow sands with a moderately deep or deep seasonal high water table.
The Moist Sandy Pine-Hardwood Woodlands encompass a wide breadth of environmental and vegetation conditions, and natural disturbance regimes. In general, natural vegetation of this concept ranges from open pine woodland to closed forested conditions, depending on landscape position, soil moisture and fertility, and fire frequency.
Associated sites
R154XX001FL |
Yellow Sands Xeric Uplands These sites are excessively drained communities that occur in higher, drier, xeric landscape positions |
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F154XX002FL |
Xeric Bicolor Sandy Uplands These sites are excessively drained communities that occur in higher, drier, xeric landscape positions |
F154XA003FL |
Dry Yellow Sands Pine Woodland These sites are excessively drained communities that occur in higher, drier, xeric landscape positions |
F154XA005FL |
Poorly Drained Upland Pine-Hardwood Forests These are poorly drained communities that occur in lower, wetter landscape positions |
F154XA007FL |
Moist Sandy Wet-Mesic Flatwoods These are poorly drained communities that occur in lower, wetter landscape positions |
F154XA008FL |
Moist Sandy Scrubby Flatwoods These sites are somewhat poorly to well drained communities that occur in similarly mesic landscape positions |
F154XA009FL |
Moist Basic Pine Uplands These sites are moderately well to well drained communities that occur in slightly higher, drier landscape positions |
F154XA010FL |
Moist Lithic Flatwoods And Hammocks These sites are somewhat poorly to well drained communities that occur in similarly mesic landscape positions |
F154XA011FL |
Wet Lithic Flatwoods And Hammocks These are poorly drained communities that occur in lower, wetter landscape positions |
Similar sites
F154XA009FL |
Moist Basic Pine Uplands These sites occur on similar landscapes in slightly better drained positions. Greater amounts of finer textured materials and high base status result in greater soil fertility and available water capacity. |
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F154XA010FL |
Moist Lithic Flatwoods And Hammocks These sites occur on similar landscapes with similar soil drainage. These soils will have a shallow to moderately deep rooting restriction that will influence plant community characteristics and soil chemistry. |
F154XA012FL |
Wet Rich Forests And Woodlands These sites occur on similar landscapes with similar soil drainage. The presence of a subsurface loamy or clayey layer will be shallower than Site 004, resulting in higher available water capacity and greater plant community production. |
Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Pinus palustris |
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Shrub |
(1) Quercus falcata |
Herbaceous |
(1) Schizachyrium scoparium |
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