Coastal Plain Maritime Forest

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this is a forest-shrubland mosaic existing on barrier islands, coastal strands, and bluffs. Vegetation is species poor, with stunted trees in some combination of pines (pitch, Virginia, loblolly, shortleaf) and oaks (scarlet, black, scrub, post) and eastern redcedar, black cherry, American holly, sassafras, and red maple. Soils fine to coarse sand with some organic material mixing into top layers. Can include upland and lowland depression examples. Subject to unique maritime stresses: salt spray, high winds, dune shifting, sandblasting, and occasional overwash.