The ecology of Atlantic white cedar wetlands - USGS National ...

from, the white cedar of New Jersey. Eleuterius andJones (1972) examined white cedar stands in Mississippi,at the western edge of its range. A comprehensiveliterature review and a substantial body ofhitherto unpublished data on the region's cedar wetlandswere recently gathered by Clewell and Ward(1987) and Ward and Clewell (unpubl.), from whichmuch of the following information is drawn.Only two white cedar stands are known inthe state, both in west-central Georgia: one growsalong a tributary of Upatoi Creek in Talbot and MarionCounties; the other borders Whitewater Creek intayior County (W. Duncan, pers. comrn.). Bothstands are on sandy terraces in the east-west belt ofFall Line sandhills along streams that flow southwardinto the Apalachicola River.2.5.3 FloridaThe southernmost white cedar stand is innortheastern peninsular Florida, along JuniperCreek and its tributary, Morman Branch, in the OcalaNational Forest, Marion County. About 45 km to thenorth, a second peninsular Florida stand lies alongDeep Creek in Putnam County. Both populationsflank spring-fed streams that discharge ultimatelyinto the St. Johns River. These are the only standswithin Florida's Atfantic watershed. All other populations,including those in Georgia, are in the Gulf ofMexico drainage.In the central Florida panhandle, a cluster ofcedar stands is associated with streams largelywithin the watersheds of the Ochlockonee andApalachicola rivers. Another population center is locatedin the western Florida panhandle and Alabama,in association with several streams that independentlyflow to the gulf. The westernmost standslie along several streams in southern Mississippi.In its southern range, white cedar is conspicuousand often dominant wherever it grows.Paradoxically, populations are often small and isolated,even though the cedar's typical habitats arerelatively widespread.m. Growth requirements for whitecedar in the Florida panhandle generally are similarto those of the Atlantic seaboard provinces, exceptwith regard to hydrology, fire, and pH (Clewell 1971,1981). White cedar in the south is found where thereis little flooding and siltation, on the banks of smallFigure 16. Section and plan views of a Carolina bay with Atlantic white cedars, indicating morphologicalfeatures, soil profiles, and vegetation types. Single arrow points to clump of dead cedars; double arrowspoint to living cedar forest (modified from Buell 1946).