(dahoon holly) and Cephalanthus occidentalis L. (common buttonbush) (Ewel 1990).
Vines naturally occur within these systems (Norman and Hawley 1995; Jones and others
1994; Collins and Wein 1993; Beckwith 1968; and Monk 1965).


 PERTINENT LEGISLATION


 The presence of "nuisance species," which include several vine species, is of
 special concern on reclaimed phosphate mined lands due to permitting requirements. The
 Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mine Reclamation, requires
 that nuisance species make up less than 10% of the total vegetative cover of reclaimed
 forested wetlands as described in the Florida Administrative Code Chapter 17-312 (FAC
 1999).
 One concern for regulating the percent vine cover is that permitting agencies
 require the control and elimination of these species, yet little research has been done on
 the extent of area dominated or impacts, both positive and negative, due to the presence
 of vine species. Because of the lack of information on vine species in reclaimed forested
 wetland systems, it is important to understand their role and interactions within the
 developing ecological community.

 Until the 1970's, no restrictions had been placed on the phosphate industry
 addressing voluntary or required reclamation of phosphate mined lands. Abandoning
 mined sites was common practice after surface mining was complete. However, in 1971
 Chapter 211 (Part II) of the Florida Statutes was enacted, which required severance taxes
 to be paid on phosphate mined in Florida (Florida Statutes 2001). This severance tax
 applied to the extraction of the solid phosphate minerals intended for use outside of
 Florida, with the primary purpose of encouraging the voluntary reclamation of post-mine
 lands by giving tax refunds for the economic costs connected with land reclamation
 (Zellars-Williams and others 1980).

 The following year, the Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) was passed. The CWA
is federal legislation that, among other things, protects and regulates wetlands. Its main
objective is to maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of
the United States. Section 404 authorizes the United States Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), with supervision by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA), to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into United States waters,
which includes wetlands (USACE 1995; Mitsch and Gosselink 1993).

 In 1978, Chapter 211 of the Florida Statutes (Part II, Section 16C-6) was
modified, requiring the reclamation of all lands mined in Florida after July 1, 1975
(Florida Statutes 2001). This included the replacement of mined wetlands with
constructed wetlands (Best and others 1997; Marion and King 1988). Marion and King
(1988) summarized these new regulations as:


6A-2