Bitterroot Restoration

The Bottomland Hardwoods Forest of the panhandle and northern peninsula are among the oldest natural communities in the state. Bottomland hardwoods are one of the lowest and wettest types of hardwood forests. They are generally found along the edges of lakes and rivers and in sinkholes. Bottomland forests represent a transition between drier upland hardwood forest and very wet river floodplain and wetland forests. While trees and plants in this ecosystem cannot tolerate long periods of flooding (as in a swamp), they are flooded periodically when water levels rise.

These seasonally flooded wetland forests are composed of a diverse assortment of hydric hardwoods which occur on the rich alluvial soils of silt and clay deposited along the floodplain of several Panhandle rivers including the Apalachicola, Choctawhatchee, and Escambia. These communities are characterized by an overstory that includes water hickory, overcup oak, swamp chestnut oak, river birch, American sycamore, red maple, Florida elm, bald cypress, blue beech, and swamp ash. The understory can range from open and park-like to dense and nearly impenetrable. Understory plants can include bluestem palmetto, hackberry, swamp azalea, pink azalea lanceleaf greenbrier, poison ivy, peppervine, rattanvine, indigo bush, white grass, plume grass, redtop panicum, caric sedges, silverbells, crossvine, American wisteria, and wood grass. In Bottomland Hardwood Forests, soils and hydroperiods primarily determine the diverse temporary and permanent species composition along with community structure. Additionally, the rich organic material that accumulates on the forest floor is carried off by flooding waters during the wet season, and therefore provides an essential source of minerals and nutrients for downstream ecosystems such as estuarine systems.

There is much variety among bottomland hardwood forests, based on slope of the land, soil type, water availability, and climate. Deciduous trees of various ages grow in these forests. They often grow in distinct layers, with an overstory of dominant tree species (core species), an understory of companion trees and shrubs, and a groundcover layer of herbaceous plants. These diverse communities are known for their species richness and may support from two to five times more species of both plants and animals than either pine forests or upland hardwood forests. While the types of plants and animals found across Florida vary, there is no "peninsula effect" (declining number of species from north to south) in the bottomland hardwood forests.

Bottomland hardwood forests constantly change and are altered over time by natural disturbance and climatic changes. They are characterized by infrequent, low-intensity fire, poorly to well-drained soils, and frequent flooding.

Bottomland hardwoods may be underwater part of the year and completely dry during droughts. When wet, they provide important habitat for young fish, insects, crayfish, worms, and micro-organisms. Nutrients increase during these periods as floodwaters drop sediment and organic matter. When dry, the soil is able to release stored-up nutrients and take in oxygen.

The nutrient content of the soil is determined by the amount of leaf litter and other organic matter present on the forest floor. Because the forest is full of deciduous trees there is much leaf litter and other organic matter on the ground. This increases the nutrient levels of the soil as the litter decays. While most Florida soils have low nutrient content and are not as rich as soils farther north, bottomlands have some of the best soils in Florida.  Forests with nutrient-rich soils generally have a greater variety of plant species.

Bottomland hardwood forests represent a rich and diverse ecosystem with many benefits to the environment, humans, and wildlife. These beautiful natural communities help to maintain healthy water systems, fertile soil, and habitat for numerous species of wildlife and must be carefully managed and protected to ensure their preservation.

Dominant Trees:

• Live oak
• Water oak
• Red maple

Trees:

• Baldcypress
• Cabbage palm
• Hornbeam
• Swamp chestnut oak
• Sweetgum
• Sycamore
• Sugarberry
• River birch
• Sweetbay magnolia
• Overcup oak
• Water hickory
• Winged elm

Companion Plants:

• Blackberry
• Low panicums
• Peppervine
• Spanish moss
• Smilax
• Sparkleberry
• Poison sumac
• Poison ivy
• Resurrection fern
• Poison ivy
• St. Johnswort
• Wild grape