Rocky Brushy Creek Watershed Mgmt. Plan (2007) -- Part 2

CHAPTER 8Hardwood conifer mixed forest (434)In a hardwood-conifer mixed forest, neither upland conifers nor hardwoods attain more than 66%dominance in the canopy. By definition, these areas typically occur on well-drained but nondroughtysoils and are often the result of fire suppression in pine flatwoods. Mixed forests are oftensuccessional to upland hardwood forests. This community has the same species as the longleafpine-xeric community (FLUCFCS 412) except that neither the pines nor the oaks dominate. Thepercent coverage of this community increased from 0.2% to 1.15% between 1950 and 2004,probably as a result of natural successional activity.Shrub and brushland (320)Shrub and brushland occurs on the same soils as pineflatwoods and longleaf pine-xeric oak communities.However, it is dominated by herbs and shrubs; few tono trees are present. Typical species include sawpalmetto, gallberry, wax myrtle, species of bluestem,other woody scrub plant species, and various shortherbs and grasses. It often develops following theclearing of pines for timber or on long-fallow cropland.This community occupied 13.3% of the watershed in1950 and 2% by 2004. The decrease in areal cover ofthis community is likely related to the conversion of these lands to residential or commercial uses.Mixed rangeland (330)Mixed rangeland is defined by FLUCFCS as rangeland where there is more than 33% mixture ofgrassland and shrub-brushland range species exists. This community was not recognized in theland use mapping of 1950, but it occupies 0.14% of the watershed currently (2004).8.4.2 Wetland/Aquatic Natural SystemsThe following wetland habitat descriptions are based on the information contained in Carlisle et al.(1978), Florida Department of Transportation’s FLUCFCS Manual (1999), and the Soil Surveys ofHillsborough County from 1916, 1958, and 1989. For information on lakes and Rocky Creek -Brushy Creek, SWFWMD’s Directory of Lakes (SWFWMD, 2005) and the USF HillsboroughWatershed Atlas (http://www.hillsborough.wateratlas.usf.edu) were consulted. In the plantcommunity descriptions below, only the species that are most characteristic of the plant communityin the Rocky Creek - Brushy Creek watershed are mentioned as being present; however, thenatural plant communities that still remain in the watershed are highly diverse and contain manymore species than are mentioned in this report. For ease of reading, only common names of plantsare used in the report narrative, but Section 8.10 provides a list of all scientific names of plants andanimals included in the report.8-9Rocky/Brushy Creek Watershed Management Plan