Pine Flatwoods EarthCache
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Pine Island Conservation Area is a dynamic landscape. It is the future home of the EEL Program Central Region Management and Education Center. Hours: October-April: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM; May-September: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Coords are for parking. You will be traveling about 1 mile along questionably maintained trails throughout various examples of this area to learn about this subject. This can be a very muddy stroll, so not for those of poor constitution.
Flatwoods, also called pine flats or pine barrens, once covered much of the land in Florida and had such open understory that it was said you could drive a wagon through them.
There are a variety of soil types in pine flatwoods, but they are generally poorly drained, sandy and acidic. These fine sands were originally laid down as deposits on shallow sea beds, when sea levels rose between periods of glaciation. Flatwoods soils are very low in available nutrients, clay, and organic material. (Note that conifers, especially pines, have lower nutrient requirements than hardwoods.) Flatwoods often have a clay hardpan. In the rainy season, hardpan soils can become waterlogged and poorly aerated, with standing water for varying periods in the hydric and mesic sites. During the dry season when evaporation dries out the surface soil, the impermeable hardpan can prevent lower water from rising, creating drought conditions for the plant life. The fluctuations in water table, and presence of a hardpan, can inhibit root growth. Because of these factors, there is tremendous seasonal variation in the amount of water available to the vegetation. The high acid content of pine needles, along with limestone bedrock, makes the soils in flatwoods tend to be acidic. As plant matter decays and contributes nutrients to the sandy soil an organic layer may develop. However, the open, porous nature of the sandy soil causes nutrients to leach out quickly resulting in poor quality soil. Although the soil is sandy there are frequently clay deposits below the surface that hold water and create small ponds. Pine flatwoods represent the most extensive type of terrestrial ecosystem in Florida, covering approximately 50% of the natural land area in the state. Flatwoods forests may be found southern, central, and northern Florida.
To log this earthcache, one must complete two elements of learning and post a photo of yourself at N28 30.031 W080 43.687, which is an overlook.
At N28 30.030 W080 43.695 was an educational exhibit, part of it dealing with insect control using water management, and its effects on the pine woods. What flora is prevalent in this general area and is demonstrating a comeback now that the water retention system is no longer being maintained?
At N28 29.588 W080 43.829 was another educational exhibit; describing the native flora abundant in front of you; what is the primary ground cover here?
The pine flatwoods ecosystem represents a succession subclimax, maintained by, and dependent upon, frequent fires. The frequency of fire keeps the litter and nutrients in the soil low and bums out encroaching oak seedlings. These fires spread fast, burning at a lower temperature. Where man has restricted fire, ecosystems have changed. In unburned flatwoods, soil moisture is higher because of accumulated litter, available nutrients increase, and plant succession progresses with hardwood tree species moving in. Then fires, when they do occur, will bum hotter with more devastating effect. Hardwood tree roots, unlike pine roots, can penetrate and break up the thin clay hardpan, altering the hydrology of the site. The plants that grow in these ecosystems are limited to those that grow well in acid soil and adapt easily to drought and flood cycles. The density of the trees also affects the type of plants that grow in flatwoods since openings in the canopy allow sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. An open canopy will let in more sunlight and facilitate the growth of shrubs and understory plants while a dense, closed canopy will limit the understory to smaller herbaceous plants and grasses.
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