FNAI COMMUNITY:

No FNAI entry

STAGE DESCRIPTION

• Overstory: Sand pine canopy of less density (about 70% closed) than sand pine scrub Stage 2.  About 1,600 trees exist per acre (Latham, 1985) that are regularly dispersed.  Trees are usually above 30 feet in height.  Minimum sand pine dbh is 8 inches (Laessle, 1965).
• Mid Story: Compared to sand pine scrub Stage 2, a more dense and taller (5-8, up to 12 feet in height) layer of oaks and other evergreen shrubs dominate the mid story in stage 3.  Most common oaks include myrtle oak, sand live oak, and Chapman's oak.  Other shrubs include saw palmetto, rusty staggerbush, Florida rosemary, blue huckleberry, fetterbush, wild olive, blueberry, deerberry, and muscadine grape (Stout and Marion, 1993).
• Ground Cover: Ground layer vegetation is sparse and species poor with many bare sandy patches alternating with dense stands of lichens and sand spike-moss.  Fewer grasses exist in Stage 3 than in Stage 2 (Stout and Marion, 1993).  Herbaceous species include alicia and sandyfield beaksedge (Abrahamson et al., 1984).
• Duff/Litter Layer: Litter composed of mostly oak debris with pine and oak limbs and logs scattered between patches of bare sand.  Many 1000-hr fuels on ground.  Little to no duff.