ABSTRACT
Swamps dominated by pondcypress are a characteristic feature of the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States. Pondcypress swamps often occur in high densities across the landscape, but until recently were widely considered, along with most wetlands, as wastelands. Pondcypress swamps comprise a spectrum from very low to moderately high productivity. Cypress strands are linear swamps in which water flows intermittently during the year. Pondcypress swamps occupy shallow depressions in sandy soils underlain by clay and eventually dolomite and limestone. The distribution of pondcypress swamps and other fire-maintained ecosystems in the southeastern United States corresponds closely with high incidence of lightning strikes and wildfires. Pondcypress swamps can be nearly monospecific, especially in south Florida, or, particularly further north, co-dominant with swamp tupelo. Pondcypress swamps are usually harvested by clearcutting, because anything less than full extraction from small wetlands is uneconomical.
