What Is Bottomland Hardwoods

They are characterized by infrequent low intensity fire.

What is bottomland hardwoods.

This ecosystem supports a unique forest community of bald cypress water tupelo black gum and numerous species of oak. The bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous and evergreen hardwood forest found in us broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes. Bottomland hardwood forests are one of many important riparian ecosystems in the united states. Bottomland hardwood forests are a prominent ecosystem in the southeast.

The term bottomland hardwoods was first used to describe forests of the southeastern us that occurred on river floodplains. Scientists often consider a bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem as an extension of a river. Years later huffman and forsythe 1981 used the term to describe floodplain forests throughout the eastern and central. Bottomland hardwoods may be underwater part of the year and completely dry during droughts.

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. Bottomland hardwoods serve a critical role in the watershed by reducing the risk and severity of flooding to downstream communities by providing areas to store floodwater. The trees often develop unique characteristics to allow submergence including cypress. In addition these wetlands improve water quality by filtering and flushing nutrients processing organic wastes and reducing sediment before it reaches open water.

Typical tree species growing in these forests range from cottonwoods and sweetgums to cherrybark oaks water oaks and hickories. Bottomland hardwood forests support a great variety of tree and shrub species. Bottomland hardwoods forests constantly change and are altered over time by natural disturbance and climatic changes.