Hardwood Forested Uplands

Description

This state describes mesic or xeric hardwood forests dominated mainly by oak species. These communities are typically found on well drained soil on knolls within the landscape. They are not typically pyrogenic but can tolerate low ground fires which maintain species diversity and community structure.

Submodel

Description

This state describes the hammock community after a catastrophic fire burns through the duff layer and kills the roots of less fire tolerant species such as oaks. While oaks are tolerant of low intensity ground fires which burn surficial litter, high intensity fires can kill these species. The remaining vegetation are species that are tolerant of high intensity fires, and will remain as dominant species until the shade-tolerant species such as oak can become reestablished over time.

Submodel

Description

This state consists of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Non-Native Category 1 Species list . More information on these species list can be found:
https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/63140/file/Florida%E2%80%99s_Pest_Plants.pdf

or by contacting the UF / IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/), the UF / IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas (https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/), or the FWC Invasive Plant Management Section (http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/).

These species are common in areas where natural processes are interrupted via hydrology or fire regimes. The introduction of these species pose serious threats to endangered and threatened habitats and plants within Florida as they become outcompeted for habitats and nutrients.

Characteristics and indicators

Non-native species include species that exist outside of Florida's native range and introduced to the state by people, weather, or any other means.

Resilience management

This state can be found as a part of any other state and can completely destroy the native habitat if not properly managed. Restoration to natural communities after exotic invasion include practices such as mechanical, biological, and chemical removal.

Submodel

Description

The following communities comprise the major land uses in the United States and the land uses receiving the majority of the conservation treatment that address soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources within the USDA.

Characteristics and indicators

These land uses consist of areas that are not completely naturalized (i.e. native habitat) and have been anthropogenically altered for commodity production.

Submodel

Description

These areas include soils that were intentionally and substantially modified by humans for an intended purpose, commonly for terraced agriculture, building support, mining, transportation, and commerce. The alteration is of sufficient magnitude to result in the introduction of a new parent material (human-transported material) or a profound change in the previously existing parent material (human-altered material). They do not include soils modified through standard agricultural practices or formed soils with unintended wind and water erosion. When a soil is on or above an anthropogenic landform or microfeature, it can be definitely be associated with human activity and is assigned to a unique taxa, usually found as an "Urban land complex" within that communities natural soil properties (e.g., Immokalee sand-Urban land complex, 0 to 2 percent slopes).

Characteristics and indicators

Evidence of these areas include soils with manufactured items (e.g. artifacts) present in the profile, human altered-materials (e.g., deeply excavated or plowed soil) or human-transported material (e.g., fill), and position on or above anthropogenic landforms (e.g., flood-control levees) and microfeatures (e.g., drainage ditches). Detailed criteria regarding the identification of anthropogenic (artificial) landforms, human-altered materials, and human-transported material are in the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy" (Soil Survey Staff, 2014).

Submodel