CHAPTER V 

 SOUTHEASTERN PINE TYPE 



General Conditions. — This region Kes along the Atlantic sea- 

 board from southern New Jersey to Central Texas. It is made 

 up of low lying, comparatively level sandy lands which seldom 

 rise more than 500 feet above sea level. It is part of what 

 geologists call the Coastal Plain. Between it and the southern 

 bottomlands there is no hard and fast Hne. The difference 

 between the two is simply one of soil drainage and fertility. With 

 the southern hardwood belt, however, there is a sharper contrast. 

 The pines quickly give place to the hardwoods as the hills of the 

 Piedmont plateau with their stiff clay soil rise from the sandy 

 coastal plain. 



The climate is like that of the bottomlands, hot and moist. 

 The winters are short. Scarcely a single month during the year 

 has an average temperature below freezing even in the northern 

 extension of the region. The precipitation is heavy, over 45 

 inches, and has a distinct period of maximum fall during mid- 

 summer. The evaporation is naturally great with the high aver- 

 age temperature. Runoff would also be rapid were it not for the 

 gentle slopes but this is offset in part at least by the openness of 

 the sandy soil. Taking all the factors into consideration the 

 climate may not be said to be especially favorable to tree growth. 

 The evaporation and runoff affect the heavy precipitation so 

 that there is frequently a deficiency of soil moisture. This is 

 reflected in the openness of the stands and the adaptations of the 

 foliage to prevent excessive transpiration. 



The topography has already been described in a general way 

 and there is little that needs to be added. It does not present 

 local variations but is remarkably uniform. Extending from the 

 low sand dunes of the coast west to the foothills of the Piedmont 

 Plateau, the Coastal Plain is described by its name. It is a plain 

 without marked elevations or depressions. The soil is likewise 

 remarkably homogeneous in its sandy character altho there is a 



52 



