Conservation By Geography

Description: A conifer or hardwood woodland of dry to dry-mesic sandy sites on the southern coastal plain down to Georgia. Oaks (southern red, post, blackjack, turkey) dominate in areas somewhat protected from natural fires by steeper topography, isolation from fire spread, or limited flammability. When fire is more frequent, the vegetation is replaced by more fire-tolerant southern pines, especially longleaf pine. An understory of scrub oaks and/or a well-developed heath shrub layer may be present. The herb layer is often sparse, and may be almost eliminated by canopy closure and accumulations of thick leaf litter. Once perhaps the most extensive system on the outer coastal plain, it is now confined in our region to a few sites in southeastern Virginia.