3. Animals

 The most common animals of this community are:

 MAMMALS Bobcat, deer, foxes, armadillo, opossum, raccoon, skunks,
 squirrels, rabbits

 BIRDS Owls, rufous-sided towhee, songbirds, turkey, woodpeckers

 AMPHIBIANS Southern toad

 REPTILES Green anole, Southern fence lizard, diamondback rattlesnake,
 hognose snake

 Information on animals know to occur in specific ecological communities is
 in Appendix C.

LAND USE INTERPRETATIONS

1. Environmental Value as a Natural System

 Oak hammocks add considerable to the quality of the landscape. Spreading,
 stately oaks in many hammocks offer desirable surroundings for homesites
 and were used extensively for this purpose by many early settlers. They
 are also important wildlife areas. This community offers both food and
 cover to various species. Many areas have been cleared or altered
 extensively for both urban and agricultural uses, predominantly improved
 pasture.

2. Rangeland

 Due to the usually dense canopy cover and relatively open understory,
 cattle use these areas primarily for shade and resting areas. For sites
 in excellent conditions, the average annual production of air dry plant
 materials varies from 2,000 to 3,500 pounds per acre. This variation
 depends on plant growth conditions. From 12 to 35+ acres are usually
 needed per animal unit depending upon amount and type of forages
 available, the relative percentage of annual vegetative production by
 weight is 40 percent grasses and grasslike plants, 40 percent trees and
 shrubs and 20 percent herbaceous plants.

3. Wildlifeland

 Hardwood mast (acorns, nuts, fruits, buds and berries) make oak hammocks
 good habitat for deer, turkey, squirrel, black bear, and many songbirds.
 Maturing hardwoods and snags provide good nesting sites for squirrel,
 owls, and most woodpeckers. Habitat is good for raccoons and opossums;
 poor for bobwhite quail and dove; fair for reptiles and poor for most
 amphibians.

4. Woodland

 This community has a high potential productivity for commercial wood
 production. There are moderate equipment limitations and seedling
 mortality problems due to poorly drained soil conditions. Slash pine,