EEL FIRE MANAGEMENT MANUAL -- Prepared by The Nature Conservancy
EEL FIRE MANAGEMENT MANUAL -- Prepared by The Nature Conservancy |
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| Ephemeral flatwoods ponds are usually flat, shallow, treeless (or with very few trees) communities dominated by a sparse to dense ground cover of grasses and herbs. They occur on poorly drained terrain with soils consisting of sand overlaying an organic component. These flatwoods ponds are inundated 50 to 100 days a year. General structure is single layered with an outer concentric rim of wet-prairie like vegetation, and an inner band of St. John's Wort. Some of the typical plants include wiregrass, toothache grass, maidencane, spikerush, beakrush, hatpins, marsh pink, crownbeard, sundews, black-eyed susan, stargrass, white-top sedge, meadowbeauty, yellow-eyed grass, sneezeweed, sunflower, wax myrtle, pitcher plants, tickseed, and panicums (Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1990). Flatwoods ponds are fire maintained communities with a fire frequency of every 2 to 4 years. Fire keeps the size and quantity of native plants in check. Without fire, wax myrtle has the opportunity to grow taller and shade out other species. Fire also reduces the chances for invading plants and trees to survive and take over (Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1990). At times, the water level can be high enough to prevent fire from entering the community (Wade et al., 1980). |
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