NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



(Quercus velutina), scarlet oak (Q. coc- 

 cinea), black jack oak (Q. marylandica) , 

 white oak (Q. alba), locust, sassafras, 

 pitch pine (Pinus rigida), Virginia pine 

 (Pinus virginiana), and table mountain 

 pine (P. pungens). Carolina hemlock 

 (Tsuga caroliniana) has a limited occur- 

 rence in the southern part of the region. 

 In the northern part Virginia pine and 

 black jack oak assume a prominence not 

 found in the type farther south. 



Plateau group"* 



Upland types. These types include 

 the hardwood and pine formations which 

 characterize the woodlots of the Pied- 

 mont Plateau and Appalachian Valley, 

 and extend over the lower hills and 

 ridges skirting the main mountain ranges 

 and spurs into the plateau lands en- 

 closed within the mountain groups. 

 The upper altitude of these types may 

 be stated as approximately 2500 ft. in 

 the southern mountains, less in the 

 northern part of the region. In the 

 National Forests of the region they are 

 more largely represented in the south 

 than in the north. There is a wide 

 variety of composition and stand con- 

 ditions. On ridge and bench lands the 

 characteristic species include principally 

 shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), southern 

 red oak (Quercus digitata), black oak, 

 post oak (Q. stellata), white oak, hick- 

 ories, red maple, black gum, Virginia 

 pine, pitch pine, dogwood, and sour- 

 wood. In moister situations such as 

 northerly slopes and ravines, red maple, 

 yellow poplar, red gum (Liquidambar 

 styraciflua), and scattered ash trees 

 mix with a variety of oaks and hickories. 



Lowland and river edge types. These 

 are unimportant, in point of area, in 

 the National Forests. They are almost 

 wholly hardwood, and are confined to 

 narrow strips along streams, valley 

 bottoms, and small swampy areas. 

 Sweet gum, sycamore, (Platanus occi- 

 dentalis) river birch (Betula nigra), 

 black gum, and black willow (Salix 



7 These types include approximately those listed 

 by Ashe as of the Carolinian Area of the Upper 

 Ausaral Life Zone. 



nigra) are characteristic. Yellow pop- 

 lar, white oak, and other species inter- 

 mingle to greater or less extent. 



THE OZARK REGION 



The Ozark and Arkansas National 

 Forests are situated in the mountainous 

 portions of Arkansas (Carolinian area 

 of the Upper Austral). The elevation 

 of the forests varies from 500 to 3000 

 ft. The principal tree species of the 

 uplands include shortleaf pine, white, 

 southern red, post, and black oaks, and 

 shagbark, pignut, and white hickories 

 (Gary a ovata, C. glabra, 0. alba). Sweet 

 gum, basswood, sycamore, sugar maple, 

 and black walnut are found on the 

 moister soils or along streams. 



THE FLORIDA GULF REGION 



The two divisions of the Florida 

 National Forest, in northwestern and 

 north central Florida, respectively, are 

 the areas concerned. This region (ly- 

 ing in the Gulf strip of the Austroripa- 

 rian area), is characterized by longleaf 

 pine (Pinus palustris), slash pine (P. 

 heterophylla), sand pine (P. clausa), 

 and other pines, scrub oaks, palmetto 

 (Sabal palmetto), and low evergreen 

 shrubs, with cypress (Taxodium dis- 

 tichum), swamp hardwoods, and south- 

 ern white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) 

 in river and bog swamps. A good place 

 to study the typical "scrub" vegetation 

 of the poorer, drier, sandy lands of 

 Florida, showing all stages of succession 

 from ancient sand dunes to longleaf 

 pine forest. Conditions have been 

 largely modified by fire. Bear, deer, and 

 wild turkeys are to be found. 



THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



Since the individual National Forests 

 are treated here in alphabetical order, 

 their location by regions, in a general 

 north to south direction, may be of 

 interest. 



White Mountain region 

 White Mountain National Forest 



