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Freshwater Forested Wetlands Bottomland Forest and Alluvial Forest By: Tiffany Oliver

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Definitions Terrace: A raised bank of earth having vertical or sloping sides and a flat top. Levee: An elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels.

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Definitions Alluvial: Made up of or found in the materials that are left by the water of rivers, floods, etc. Blackwater river: A river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Ridge and Swale: An alternating sequence of narrow sandy ridges and low wetland swales that parallels a shore

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What is a Bottomland Forest?

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A deciduous, or mixed deciduous/evergreen, closed-canopy forest on terraces and levees within riverine floodplains and in shallow depressions.

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What is a Bottomland Forest? Found between swamps and uplands

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What is a Bottomland Forest? The canopy may be quite diverse with both deciduous and evergreen hydrophytic to mesophytic trees. Very few evergreen

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What is a Bottomland Forest? Understory either dense shrubs with little ground cover, or open, with few shrubs and a groundcover of ferns, herbs, and grasses. Also variable in composition and abundance

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Resources and Conditions Soils are a rich mixture of sand, clay, and organic materials Water table: High in blackwater/spring fed floodplains Low in alluvial floodlplains Inundation: only during higher floods Fire insignificant Limited to individual trees

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Resources and Conditions Trees produce hard and soft mast that wildlife depend on Seedling establishment variations caused by flooding regimes, windthrows and treefall gaps Organic debris: Important nutrient source downstream Large scale patterns of high water pulses Every 5-7years along the Apalachicola River Critical in providing nutrients into the Apalachicola Bay Correlated with a significant increase in commercial fish abundance. Major stop over site for many migratory birds

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Distribution Found throughout Florida, associated mostly with blackwater and alluvial floodplains. Where limestone is near the surface hydric hammocks often replace bottomlands.

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Distribution

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Status G4/S3: secure globally; rare or uncommon in state Good and unknown trend 84,141 acres total of Bottomland Hardwood 58% conservation or managed areas 5% Florida Forever projects 25% are in SHCA-designated lands. 12% private lands

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Characteristic Canopy Water Oak Sweetgum Spruce Pine

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Characteristic Canopy Swamp Laurel Oak Red Maple Loblolly Pine

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Common Canopy Sugarberry Live Oak Sweetbay Swamp Chestnut Oak

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Common Understory American Hornbeam Swamp Dogwood Dahoon Holly

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Rare Plants Sweet Shrub Indian Cucumber- root Little Club-spur Orchid

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Obligate, Threatened, or Endangered Animals Apalachicola Dusky Salamander Yellow- crowned Night-heron Black- crowned Night-heron Rafinesques big- eared bat Northern Long-eared bat Florida long- tailed weasel

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Obligate, Threatened, or Endangered Animals Florida Black BearKentucky Warbler Hooded Warbler Copperhead

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Considerations Suffered from timber operations Soil disturbance Clearcutting Pine plantations Construction that makes use of landfill acts as a dam Wildlife habitat loss with development Invasives Clean and control water

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Management and Restoration Provide funds and tax incentives for private lands Replant Concern about local water problems increases demand for restoration Single tree harvest Attempt to reestablish hydrolic functions

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What Can I Confuse Them With? Floodplain Swamp: Although bottomland forest may flood and even contain occasional tupelo and cypress trees, it is not dominated by these species, as is floodplain swamp Hydric Hammock: Closely resembles bottomland forest, but the dominance of evergreen oaks and cabbage palm distinguish the hammock.

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What Can I Confuse Them With? Baygall: Found in areas of high seepage and dominated by bay species Alluvial Forest: Bottomlands are generally drier and water hickory, overcup oak, and/or green ash are not characteristic unlike in alluvial

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Where Can I See Them? Blackwater River State Forest Lake Talquin State Forest San Felasco Preserve State Park Jennings State Forest Myakka River State Park

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Alluvial Forest

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What is an Alluvial Forest?

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A hardwood forest found in river floodplains on low levees, ridges and terraces that are slightly elevated above floodlplain swamp and are regularly flooded for a portion of the growing season.

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Resources and Conditions Soils are variable mixtures of sand, organics, and alluvials, which are often distinctly layered. The hydroperiod is the primary physical feature of alluvial forests, which are inundated by floodwaters nearly every year for 2 to 50% of the growing season. Inundation flushes the forest floor Fire: Infrequent Limited to individual trees Stands that burn in drought sustain heavy damage

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Distribution and Status Florida Panhandle where alluvial rivers create broad floodplains Not south of Lake Okeechobee G4/S3: secure globally; rare or uncommon in state

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Characteristic Canopy Water Locust Swamp Laurel Oak Green Ash Water Hickory

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Characteristic Canopy American Elm Overcup Oak River Birch

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Rare Plants Variable- leaved Indian- plantain Canada Honewort Thornes Buckthorn

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Obligate, Threatened, or Endangered Animals One-toed Amphiuma American Alligator Swallow-tailed kite Barbours Map Turtle Northern Long-eared Bat Mississippi Green Water Snake

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Obligate, Threatened, or Endangered Animals Hairy Woodpecker Florida Black Bear Gray Bat Louisiana Waterthrush

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Considerations Must be managed as part of the whole of a riverine system Provide important wildlife habitat Contribute to water quality Negative impacts of artificial impoundments, river diversion projects, pesticide use, forest clearcutting, and intensive agriculture Dam construction limits the health of the systems Channelization Hurricanes

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Management Remove small dams to allow for natural hydrology Hand/mechanical removal of exotics Minimize and eliminate trails and roads Replant rapid growing plants to reestablish canopy

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What Can I Confuse It With? Floodplain Swamp: Differ because cypress and/or tupelo are dominant in these swamps because of the longer hydroperiod. Bottomland Forest: Occupy slightly higher terraces, ridges, and levees, and sometimes have loblolly pine. Baygall: Dominated by evergreen bay species and lacks the diversity. Hydric Hammocks: Generally dominated by a mix of evergreen oaks, cabbage palm, and red cedar.

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Where Can I See Them? Torreya State Park Apalachicola Water Management Area Gum Landing in Choctawhatchee River Water Management Area Log Landing and Wanee Conservation Areas

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