BULLETIN FLORIDA MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY VOL 38 PT. 1(2)


 Most communities have been influenced by human disturbance and past fire
histories. Between 15% and 25% of the property is believed to have been cleared
for agriculture and human habitation since 1850. Several of these areas have
regrown through old field succession to xeric sand live oak and mesic hardwood
hammocks. Regular prescribed burning of high pine forests was established in
1983 as a part of the Ordway Preserve's management protocol for the purpose of
reestablishing the native longleaf pine ecosystem and reducing fuel loads.

 High Pine Forest.-- Also known as sandhill, this community type is
dominated by longleaf pine (P. palustris), turkey oak (Q. laevis), and wiregrass (A.
stricta). High pine requires frequent fires in order to maintain its open aspect, to
sponsor pine and wiregrass regeneration, and to control invasive weed species.
Located on Candler and Apopka soil types, the community occurs on deep sands
associated with dune ridges.

 Sand Live Oak Hammock.-- This community naturally occurs as fringes
around certain wetland types. It also occurs on ruderal sites. Dominated by sand
live oak (Q. geminata) and occasionally by laurel oak (Q. hemisphaerica), sand
live oak hammocks can have dense understories composed of sapling oaks,
blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), myrtle oak (Q. myrtifolia), and other woody plants.
Reindeer lichens (Cladonia spp. and Cladina spp.) and herbaceous species are
more prevalent in open hammocks. Prescribed fires rarely intrude into sand live
oak hammocks because of sparse fuels and higher moisture conditions than
adjacent high pine forest. For purposes of this paper, sand live oak hammocks are
termed open (very little understory) or closed (very dense understory with complex
habitat structure) xeric hammocks.

 Mesic Hardwood Hammocks.-- Located on the lower slopes of the Mill
Creek valley, most mesic hardwood hammocks are dominated by mesic species,
particularly sweet gum (Liquidamber styraciflua), pignut hickory (Carya glabra),
wild olive (Osmanthus americanus), water oaks (Q. nigra), and southern magnolia
(Magnolia grandiflora), although more xeric-adapted pines and oaks commonly
occur on some sites. The interior of most mesic hammocks tend to remain open,
except where saw palmettos (Serenoa repens) form dense thickets. Fires rarely
burn into this community, although they historically have invaded the upper Mill
Creek valley as evidenced by fire-scarred slash pines (P. elliotti) in the vicinity of
Mill Creek ford.

 Swamp Forest.-- Dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum), sweet bay
(Magnolia virginiana), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and dahoon holly (Ilex
cassine), this community type is restricted to the Mill Creek valley bottomland. In
some areas, slash pines and pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) form important