Issue 7

Rare Rockland Pine Forest Rely on Fire

Native, savanna-like, subtropical pine forests, called rockland pine forests, are hotbeds of biodiversity and home to threatened and endangered plants and animals, such as the milkpea on the left, that need fire to survive. Little is known about the ecology of these forests, which occur in southern Florida near Miami and other places such as the Bahamas (where a native ground-nesting parrot lives among the pines) and Cuba. These pine forests provide winter habitat for many migratory birds, including the endangered Kirtland’s warbler.

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