Eastern Pine Savanna - Code: Ne1F

The Eastern Pine Savanna is a broad umbrella habitat that encompasses three major subtypes with overlapping features. Throughout most of the range of Eastern Pine Savanna, winters are mild, and the temperature rarely drops below freezing. Summers are hot and humid, with daily highs around 90°F (32°C). Most of the rain falls in the spring and summer months, with 43–68 in. (1,090–1,750mm) accumulating annually. In the Longleaf Pine zone this is especially true and precipitation from tropical storms and hurricanes is an important seasonal feature. In the Northeast Pine Barrens subtype the winters are colder and there is often long-lasting snow accumulation. Summers are somewhat milder but still hot and humid, especially in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
Throughout much of their range Eastern Pine Savannas are open-canopied woodland or savanna occurring on the low-lying coastal plains and in the Mississippi River valley of the se. United States. The tall, narrow-trunked pines that dominate the Longleaf Pine Savanna and Shortleaf Pine Savanna subtypes generally grow to a height of 70 ft. (22m) though occasionally as tall as 130 ft. (40m). Under historical fire regimes, trees are widely spaced (~100 ft./30m apart) and do not form a solid canopy, allowing high light conditions that support an open understory of grasses and small shrubs. However, with fire-suppression practices, dense shrubby undergrowth encroaches, and it can make moving through unmanaged savannas difficult. The Northeast Pine Barrens canopy is shorter and denser overall and features a dense understory even under natural fire regimes. Because the soil is often poorly drained all three subtypes are dotted with wet grasslands, pitcherplant bogs and cedar swamplands.  Swamplands dominated by Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) are an especially important feature in the Northeast Pine Barrens.
The primary canopy tree is one of the major defining features of each subtype. In Longleaf Pine Savanna the dominant canopy tree is Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), a fire-tolerant and slow-growing species. Shortleaf Pine Savanna are characterized by abundant Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) and Northeast Pine Barrens are mostly Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). Throughout the Eastern Pine Savanna Slash Pine (Pinus elliotti), Sand Pine (Pinus clausa), Pond Pine (Pinus serotina), and Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) are all also present, though rarely co-dominant. Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) is a fast-growing but fire-susceptible species that often outcompetes and displaces Longleaf Pine in places where fire is suppressed. Loblolly is also common around the wetter, boggier sections of Longleaf Pine savanna and often replaces both Shortleaf and Longleaf Pine in managed tree plantations. 
The mid-story of Eastern Pine Savanna is generally sparse and includes Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera), Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and Red Maple (Acer rubrum). Shortleaf and Northeastern subtypes often have a diverse array of oaks (Quercus spp.)  and hickory (Carya spp.) that create a significant midstory and occasionally join the canopy, especially in the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains. 
The shrub layer is variable, and density is largely dependent on the frequency of fire. Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) or Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor) is present in all but the northernmost Eastern Pine Savannas. The shrub composition varies widely across the range but Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), Gallberry (Ilex glabra), gumtrees (Nyssa spp.), and various blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are usually common. 
The herbaceous layer of the Eastern Pine Savanna is by far the most diverse vegetative component. In frequently burned areas, the groundcover is dominated by wiregrass (Aristida spp.), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), muhly grasses (Muhlenbergia spp.), and a variety of sedges (Carex spp.).  Eastern Pine savannas have a wide variety of orchid species that include many rare and endangered species like Giant Orchid (Pteroglossaspis ecristata), Yellow Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integra) and Eaton’s Ladies-tresses (Spiranthes eatonii). 
The poorly drained, acidic soils of the Eastern Pine savanna are perfect conditions for the formation of Pocosins or Evergreen Shrub Bogs. These peat forming wetlands (see BOREAL BOGS AND FENS) are an important component of Eastern Pine Savannas and support the vast majority of Nearctic carnivorous plant species including a diverse array of pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.), sundews (Drosera spp.), and bladderworts (Utricularia spp.). The famous Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is found nowhere else.
Caribbean Pine Forest is a habitat subtype that includes the south Florida Rocklands, Bahamian Pineyards, and western Cuban pine forests. This subtype is dominated by Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) or Caribbean Pine (Pinus caribaea). Secondary canopy and understory components are frequently similar to Caribbean Hardwood Hammock (COASTAL LIVE OAK AND HAMMOCK) and gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba) and poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum) are common here.