Hardwood Hammocks: Florida's Own Rainforests

 

Florida's Own Rainforests

Did you know that Florida has its very own rainforests? Florida’s hardwood forests, commonly known as Hardwood Hammocks, are a type of rainforest and are equally under siege as the Amazon rainforests of South America.

Florida Hardwood Hammock

South Florida’s subtropical climate and annual rainfall of 60” of rain make it a perfect location for tropical rainforests, but Florida’s dry winters and underlying coral bedrock prevent true rainforests from developing. Unlike the deep soil base needed for most tropical trees to thrive, South Florida has only about 6-12 inches of soil over a hard coral base- thus we have tropical hardwood forests made of plants that can thrive in the shallow soil and survive periods of drought.

True rainforests are dense evergreen forests which occur in areas where there is no dry season, and all months have an average precipitation of 60mm. These are typically found between 10 degrees north and south longitudes each side of the equator, primarily in South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome. 

Amazon Rainforest

The tropical forest biome also includes the semi-evergreen tree growths which occur between the 28 degrees north and south longitudes of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn which are called Tropical and Subtropical Moist Forests, or Temperate Rainforests. Tree species in Temperate Rainforests have smaller, thicker leaves and other adaptive traits to reduce water loss, and some trees in these forests drop some or all their leaves during the winter dry season. In the United States, Temperate Rainforests are found only in Hawaii and South Florida.

Florida’s hardwood forests are called hammocks. A hammock is a dense stand of broad-leafed trees that grow on a natural rise of what may be only a few inches in elevation. Hammocks can be found nestled in most all Everglades ecosystems. 

Florida Hardwood Hammock at Flamingo Gardens

Because of their higher elevation, however slight, hammocks rarely flood. In the deeper sloughs and marshes, the seasonal flow of water helps give these hammocks a distinct aerial teardrop shape, and acids from decaying plants dissolve the limestone around each tree island creating a natural moat that protects the hammock plants from fire.

Many tropical species such as mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba), and cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) grow alongside the more familiar temperate species of live oak (Quercus virginiana), red maple (Acer rubrum), and hackberry (Celtis laevigata). Shaded from the sun by the tall trees, ferns and air plants thrive in the moisture-laden air of these hammocks. This diversity of plants supports an equally diverse array of wildlife. 

Endangered Florida Panthers reside in the Hardwood Hammocks of Florida

Like the Amazon Rainforest, tropical hardwood forests are extremely important in combating climate change. In recent years, scientists and climate policy experts alike have confirmed that saving and restoring forests—especially tropical forests—are essential to warding off the worst effects of global warming. 

Increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are widely considered to be the leading cause of global warming and climate change. Trees exchange more CO2 with the atmosphere than any other vegetation type and thus, form a crucial component of the global carbon cycle. 

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store carbon it its trunk, branches and roots.

Trees absorb more CO2 as they grow through the process of photosynthesis. When they perform photosynthesis, they pull carbon dioxide out of the air, bind it up in sugar to build its trunk, branches, and roots, and convert it into the oxygen we all need to live. Trees mostly store the carbon in its wood and roots, releasing only small amounts of carbon to the soil as its roots capture nutrients and water or slowly to the air when its leaves decompose.

When a tree is cut down, not only is its efficient carbon-storage potential lost, but all the carbon that was stored in the tree is released back into the atmosphere—either quickly, as when forests are burned, or more slowly, as the debris from razed forests decomposes. 

Keeping our tropical hardwood forests intact is crucial in the fight against climate change and expanding forests can provide significant additional carbon storage.  Simply put, large-scale reforestation of Florida Hardwood Hammocks and all tropical hardwood forests is a top solution to combat climate change.

At Flamingo Gardens we have committed to a 10 year plan to preserve our existing Hardwood Hammock while expanding our tropical hardwood forest area and total tree canopy, fighting climate change while beautifying the gardens.