ABSTRACT
Much of Florida's land areas are in various stages of succession between cleared land and fully developed forest. This chapter describes natural upland forests in Florida, starting with tree growth, succession, and soil formation. It shows typical stages in forest succession in north Florida. The succession process also builds soil, a major part of the forest ecosystem. The most common material of land in Florida is just sand. Whether a pine forest is a stage in succession or a fire climax, the predominant species of pine depends on the type of ground and the groundwater level. In north and west Florida, the long-leaf pine and its associated community of organisms is the fire climax on typical uplands. Dominant hardwood trees are able to grow up in the shade of older pine trees. Most forests in Florida are young, because most of the old ones were cut earlier in the century. Animal species requiring old forests are now endangered.
