For ecological planning, the East Gulf Coastal Plain is divided into the lower, middle, and upper units; these units correspond roughly to the ecological units described by Key et al. (1995). The lower unit includes the barrier islands and coast to about 200 km inland and stretches from panhandle Florida to south Louisiana. The lower unit is characterized by predominantly flat, weakly dissected alluvial plains, and active coastlines. Quaternary geology and soils are typically Pliocene-Pleistocene sandy clay residuum (Keys et al. 1995). Predominant upland vegetation is slash and longleaf pine forest (including longleaf pine-turkey oak stands). Sand pine is the dominant canopy species in the xeric and deep sand areas of panhandle Florida and south Alabama (Enges et al. in press, Florida Natural Areas Inventory 1990).

Download Files