Bottomland forest
The Bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes.[1] They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soils required for the gum, oak and bald cypress trees that typically grow in this type of biome.[2] The trees often develop unique characteristics to allow submergence, including cypress knees and fluted trunks, but can not survive continuous flooding.[3]
Typical examples of this forest type are found throughout Gulf coast states, and along the Mississippi River in the United States. It is estimated there were 24,000,000 acres (97,000 km2) in the region before foresting and farming reduced it to approximately 4,000,000 acres (16,000 km2) today.[4]
References
- ^ "Bottomland Hardwood Forest" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. December 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-25. [dead link]
- ^ "Bottomland Hardwoods". School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "Wetlands: Bottomland Hardwoods". Environmental Protection Agency. October 21, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "Bottomland Hardwood Forests: An Imperiled National Treasure". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
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