Guide to Soils in Which to Grow Timber Species
As you may know, you can tell a lot about a particular site by what trees are growing there. Likewise, not every soil is appropriate for growing every tree. Some grow in dry soils, some in wet soils, and some do well in moderate or mesic conditions. The following is a brief guide to some of the major timber species of Florida and the soils they grow best in.
Pines
| Slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) |
Grows on wetter sandy flatwoods soils (spodosols) |
| Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) |
Grows well on drier upland soils |
| Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) |
Grows very well on loamy soils that occur in drainages or lands suitable for agriculture. Abandoned crop lands that were once good producers of crops grow loblolly well. |
| Sand pine (Pinus clausa) |
Grows best on droughty sandy soils that never get saturated with water |
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Hardwoods
| American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) |
Grows well on fine-textured bottomland soils |
| Eastern cottonwood (populus deltoides) |
Grows well in moist but well-drained bottomlands |
| Tupelo gum (Nyssa spp.) |
Grows well in river swamps in soils occasionally flooded |
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