Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, Ocala National Forest

The fire adapted longleaf pine ecosystem is home to some special Florida natives including the gopher tortoise, fox squirrel, Florida mouse, and red-cockaded woodpecker. The red-cockaded woodpecker nests in cavities of large old longleaf pines. The disappearance of nesting trees has led to a population reduction so great, that the species was put on the federal endangered species list. Efforts to reestablish the population have included insertion of nesting boxes into man-made cavities.