Lower Suwannee River Floodplain, Lower Suwannee River Floodplain, Florida: Canopy, Subcanopy, and Florida: Canopy, Subcanopy, and

Ground Cover Vegetation and Ground Cover Vegetation and Potential Impacts of Flow Potential Impacts of Flow

Reductions on Plant DistributionReductions on Plant DistributionMelanie Darst, U.S. Geological Melanie Darst, U.S. Geological SurveySurvey

SWAMP SWAMP (sw)(sw)

AERIAL AERIAL SIGNATURES SIGNATURES IN NON-IN NON-TIDAL REACHTIDAL REACH

BOTTOMLANBOTTOMLAND D HARDWOODHARDWOODS (blh) S (blh)

SW SW

AERIAL SIGNATURES IN UPPER TIDAL AERIAL SIGNATURES IN UPPER TIDAL REACHESREACHES

BLBLH H

Tree Distribution by River Mile

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70River mile

Lower Tidal Upper Tidal Riverine

Swamp tupelo in BLH

Planertree

Popash

River birch

Water tupelo

Sweetgum

Live oak

American elm

Swamp laurel oak

Red maple

Baldcypress

Swamp tupelo in swamp

Pumpkin ash

Cabbage palm

Sweetbay

N

RiverinRiverine e

LowerLowerTidal Tidal

UpperUpperTidal Tidal

(LT)(LT)

(UT(UT))

(R)(R)

FOREST TYPES:FOREST TYPES:

SEPARATED BY REACHES SEPARATED BY REACHES WITH SIGNIFICANT WITH SIGNIFICANT HYDROLOGIC HYDROLOGIC DIFFERENCESDIFFERENCES

WERE MAPPED USING WERE MAPPED USING INFRARED AERIAL INFRARED AERIAL PHOTOS (DOQs)PHOTOS (DOQs)

Defined 13 Defined 13 wetland forest wetland forest typestypes

Measured & identified 8,756 trees

77 tree species in wetland forests

Bald cypress most important wetland species by basal area

N

3 blh 3 blh types – types – Rblh3, Rblh3, Rblh2, Rblh2, Rblh1Rblh1

RiverineRiverine

N

RiverinRiverinee

2 swamp 2 swamp types – types – Rsw2, Rsw2, Rsw1Rsw1

N

UpperUpperTidalTidal

1 bottomland hardwood type 1 bottomland hardwood type (UTblh)(UTblh)

1 mixed type (UTmix)1 mixed type (UTmix)

N

UpperUpperTidalTidal

2 swamp types 2 swamp types – UTsw2, – UTsw2, UTsw1UTsw1

Tree Distribution by River Mile

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70River mile

Lower Tidal Upper Tidal Riverine

Swamp tupelo in BLH

Planertree

Popash

River birch

Water tupelo

Sweetgum

Live oak

American elm

Swamp laurel oak

Red maple

Baldcypress

Swamp tupelo in swamp

Pumpkin ash

Cabbage palm

Sweetbay

N

LowerLowerTidalTidal

1 1 hammochammock type - k type - LThamLTham

N

LowerLowerTidalTidal

1 mixed swamp type 1 mixed swamp type - LTmix- LTmix

N

LowerLowerTidalTidal

2 swamp 2 swamp types – types – LTsw2, LTsw2, LTsw1LTsw1

Ground-Cover Vegetation in Wetland Forests of the Lower

Suwannee River Floodplain, Florida,

and Potential Impacts of

Flow ReductionsBy Melanie Darst,

Helen Light, and Lori Lewis, USGS

Ground Cover Species Distribution by River Mile (282

species)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70River mile

Lower Tidal

Upper Tidal

Riverine

104 species (30 in LT and R only)

18 species

81 species

22 species

2 species

55 species

Lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus) strongly dominates ground-cover vegetation in

LTmix

DECREASE IN DURATIONS OF DECREASE IN DURATIONS OF INUNDATION AND SATURATIONINUNDATION AND SATURATION

Some free-floating aquatic species such as humped bladderwort occurred only in semi-permanent ponds in riverine forests. They might decrease in abundance or disappear if flows were reduced.

DECREASE IN DEPTH AND DECREASE IN DEPTH AND DURATION OF RIVER FLOODINGDURATION OF RIVER FLOODING

These species occurred in Rblh, but not in Rsw, presumably because flood depth is shallower and duration of flooding is shorter. These species might become established in Rsw if flows were reduced.

supple jackpartridge berrywhitesands spiderlilybluestem palm

INCREASE IN SALINITYINCREASE IN SALINITY

Some species occurred in UTsw, but not in LTsw and are presumed to have no salinity tolerance. They might decrease in abundance in the most downstream part of the UT reach if flows were reduced.eastern blue starscypress swamp sedgecreeping burrheadnarrow plumegrass

LTswLTsw

Location and Description of

Ecological Study Sites in Floodplain

Forests of the Lower Suwannee

River, Florida

By Lori Lewis, Helen Light, and

Melanie Darst

Forest Map CD

Interactive Interactive map using map using ArcExplorer ArcExplorer softwaresoftware

REPORT:REPORT:

REVIEWS REVIEWS FLOODPLAIN FLOODPLAIN CHARACTERISTICHARACTERISTICSCSDESCRIBES DESCRIBES FOREST AND FOREST AND OTHER LAND OTHER LAND COVER TYPESCOVER TYPES

DESCRIBES DESCRIBES METHODS USED METHODS USED TO CREATE MAPTO CREATE MAP

DISPLAY FROM DISPLAY FROM INTERACTIVE INTERACTIVE MAP OF LOWER MAP OF LOWER SUWANNEE SUWANNEE RIVER RIVER FLOODPLAINFLOODPLAIN

Available on the web at Available on the web at HTTP://fl.water.usgs.govHTTP://fl.water.usgs.gov