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Pine Rocklands

Pine rocklands are globally imperiled ecosystems found only in South Florida and parts of the Bahamas. Pine rocklands are characterized by a tall canopy of South Florida slash pines growing out of sandy soil with limestone outcroppings jutting from the ground, and a diverse low-growing understory of tropical and temperate flowers, herbs and shrubs. These forests are adapted to periodic, natural fire, which helps keep the system healthy and keep invasive plants at bay.

Pine rocklands host a unique mix of tropical and temperate species, supporting  more than 400 native plants and dozens of imperiled species, including a few that are found only in Florida.

Historically, Florida’s pine rocklands were found across the Miami Rock Ridge, extending west into Everglades National park, and south into the Florida Keys. Currently less than 2% of pine rocklands remain in urban Miami-Dade County outside Everglades National Park. Pine rocklands also currently exist in the Keys, primarily on Big Pine Key, and in patches in Big Cypress National Preserve.

Threats

​​​Pine rocklands are facing a multitude of threats. But their declines are primarily driven by habitat destruction for urban and agricultural development. Aside from directly destroying these forests and replacing them with buildings and roads, encroaching development also makes it increasingly difficult to manage pine rocklands with fire — a critical element for their health. Pesticides and herbicides used around commercial and residential developments can also hurt pine rocklands wildlife and plants.

Because development often separates remaining fragments of pine rocklands with buildings and roads, those remaining fragments become isolated, reducing gene flow and seed dispersal necessary for healthy ecosystems. Invasive species of plants and animals are pushing out native species as well as contributing to predation and the spread of disease. Defaunation also has cascading effects as the loss of important native animals like bears or gopher tortoises leads to imbalances in the ecosystem.

Climate change is also currently threatening pine rocklands, and that threat is likely to grow more dire. Climate change is driving sea-level rise, which threatens to inundate low-lying pine rocklands and transform them as saltwater intrudes into areas historically influenced by freshwater. It’s also fueling storms of increasing intensity, which deluge pine rocklands with strong winds and higher storm surge, degrading habitat and harming plants and animals. Higher temperatures and changes in precipitation also threaten pine rocklands plants and animals by giving false cues that can lead to a loss of synchronization between plants and pollinators that have evolved to reply on each other.

Despite their small remaining extent, pine rocklands support an astounding diversity of animals, plants, and insects — including 23 federally protected species. Because these imperiled species depend on pine rocklands for their survival, saving every square acre of pine rocklands, and reestablishing more, is critical for their future.