1999-287 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

40 The marshes and inland swamp are depressional wetland communities dominated by herbaceous vegetation and associated with very poorly drained sandy soils. Review of historical imagery revealed that the inland swamp habitat type identified on the North Sebastian Conservation Area was previously an open marsh habitat which has f-. succeeded into a wetland forest dominated by a mixture of hydrophytic trees as a result of fire exclusion. Sand Pine Scrub The sand pine scrub habitat type is found on the North Sebastian Conservation Area along the higher areas of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. This community type occurs on the nearly level to gently sloping moderately -well drained Archbold and Pomello sand, 0 to 5% slopes and the excessively -drained St. Lucie sand, 0 to 8% slopes and Astatula sand, 0 to 5% slopes (Wettstein et at 1987). It is vegetatively characterized by a dense sand pine (Pinus clause) canopy with an oak scrub understory. This understory is similar in vegetative composition to the oak scrub found in Unit 17 of Sebastian Highlands, as described above. Review of historical imagery found that the extent of the sand pine scrub forest habitat on the North Sebastian Conservation Area has expanded significantly over time due to reduced fire frequencies. Oak Scrub The oak scrub habitat type is found on each of the Scrub -Jay Habitat Compensation Areas, with the largest contiguous patch occurring on the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area. The oak scrub habitat occurs primarily on the nearly level to gently sloping, moderately -well drained Archbold and Pomello sands, 0 to 5% slopes (Wettstein et at 1987). Within the North Sebastian Conservation Area, oak scrub is also associated with the nearly level and somewhat poorly drained Satellite fine sand soil type (Wettstein et at 1987), The open oak scrub areas determined to historically occur on the excessively -drained soils are currently dominated by sand pine, as described above. The vegetative description for this habitat type is provided above for the oak scrub identified in Unit 17 of Sebastian Highlands. Rosemary Scrub A small patch of rosemary scrub was identified on the North Sebastian Conservation Area, This scrub habitat type was differentiated from the surrounding sand pine and oak scrub habitat types due to a dominance of Florida rosemary with numerous open, sandy areas. This scrub habitat type occurs on the nearly level, somewhat poorly drained Satellite fine sand soils (Wettstein et a1. 1987). 45