The Maritime Forest
Story by David Whitaker
W
hile the phrase “maritime forest” may be
thought of as describing a fairly specific
plant community or forest type, in reality,
it includes a variety of coastal habitats.
Perhaps the strictest definition is a natural forest that is just
behind the sand dunes and exposed to salt spray and wind-
blown sand. Others view the maritime forest more generally
as any coastal forest dominated by particular trees and shrubs.
On the southeastern coast of the United States, coastal
forests, over time, must endure and adapt to tropical storms
that bring high winds and storm surges of full strength
seawater. Although exposure to these maritime conditions
may be infrequent, they can still be important in shaping the
coastal forest and influencing which plants survive. As such,
one may consider any forest that is periodically affected by
ocean-generated storms a maritime forest.
All summaries of characteristic plant species of maritime
forests usually start with the live oak. Live oaks are
particularly well suited for the coastal landscape, having
evolved characteristics that allow them to survive and thrive
in an occasionally hostile maritime environment. One
somewhat unique feature of the live oak is its interconnected
and three-dimensionally woven wood fibers, which are unlike
the wood fibers of most other oaks and pines that are straight
grained. This weave provides much more tensile strength,
allowing the tree trunk and most limbs to bend and sway with
minimal damage in even the strongest of hurricane winds.
It is well known that live oak was the favored wood for
construction of sailing ships as early as 1700. The USS
Constitution, which saw action in the War of 1812, earned the
nickname “Old Ironsides” because of its live oak-strengthened
construction. While the live oak was a boon to the wooden
shipbuilding industry, it resulted in the unfortunate clearing
of many of the grand oaks along the coast. This loss of natural
trees spurred President John Quincy Adams to authorize the
establishment of the Naval Live Oaks Reservation near Gulf
Breeze, Florida for the cultivation of a supply of live oak trees
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Photo by Paul Roberts