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Comprehensive Plan Conservation Element
<br />Another forest type associated with the flatwoods community is the oak -pine forest. In Indian River
<br />County, oak -pine forest is generally found in a broad band around Interstate 95, varying in width
<br />from three to four miles in the southern part of the county to eight (8) to ten (10) miles wide in the
<br />northern part of the county. The total amount of this forest type is estimated at about 9,000 acres.
<br />The oak -pine forest type is generally characterized by upland oaks, but pines make up 25 to 50
<br />percent of the stocking.
<br />Cabbage palm flatwoods, also found in association with the south Florida flatwood community, are
<br />similar to the pine flatwood community except for a higher percentage of herbaceous plants and the
<br />presence of cabbage palms. Throughout the western portion of the county, dry prairies occur in
<br />association with the South Florida flatwoods. These treeless plains, generally resembling pine
<br />flatwoods without the open overstory, are usually dominated by wiregrass, broomsege, and carpet
<br />grasses. Saw palmetto is the most abundant shrub. Hammocks, bayheads, and cypress domes are
<br />often scattered throughout this community.
<br />The South Florida flatwoods community is host to a diverse wildlife population. Much of the fauna
<br />can be found along the "ecotone" or edge of flatwoods and adjacent communities. Typical species
<br />include whit -tailed deer, bobcat, raccoon, opossum, nine -banded armadillo, gray fox, gray squirrel,
<br />Sherman's fox squirrel, cotton rat, least shrew, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, pine warbler,
<br />rufous -sided towhee, brown -headed nuthatch, pine woods treefrog, oak toad, eastern diamondback
<br />rattlesnake, black racer, pine woods snake, and box turtle. Introduced feral hogs and turkey are
<br />common in much of the community. Along rivers or estuaries, mature pine flatwoods provide
<br />nesting habitat for the bald eagle, and over- mature pine stands provide habitat for the endangered
<br />red -cockaded woodpecker.
<br />Several species, including the Florida burrowing owl, crested caracara, and the Florida sandhill
<br />crane, prefer to inhabit dry prairies; the box turtle, black racer, turkey vulture, common nighthawk,
<br />eastern meadowlark, least shrew, hispid cotton rat, eastern harvest mouse, and eastern spotted skunk
<br />are also often encountered. The forested wetlands and other habitats that are often dispersed
<br />throughout dry prairies contribute significantly to habitat diversity and are partially responsible for
<br />the abundant wildlife populations.
<br />Pine flatwoods are diverse, fairly resilient systems which can tolerate substantial use by man without
<br />significant endangerment. They are, however, sensitive to fire exclusion and water table fluctuations
<br />which can dramatically alter their vegetative composition and ecology. In the past, many acres of
<br />flatwoods were converted to cropland or improved pasture, grazed as native range, or supplanted by
<br />urban development.
<br />Use of rangeland for cattle operations, if properly managed, has only a minor effect on the
<br />community. While chopping and similar range practices result in more grasses and fewer shrubs, the
<br />result is an increase in diversity that usually leads to increases in types and amounts of wildlife.
<br />Community Development Department Indian River County 48
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