Coastal Hammock, Chenier and Woodlot - Code: Ne3F

Coastal Live Oak and Hammock is a rather limited habitat occurring in slightly elevated sections of the coast plain and comprised of two principal subtypes. The woodlands here generally occur as hammocks, which are closed-canopy, broadleaf woodlands occurring in southeastern North America. Hammocks tend to form on slightly elevated, well-drained soils. In the context of Coastal Live Oak and Hardwood Hammock this habitat usually grows on storm-created berms, stabilized dunes, limestone flats, salt domes and shell mounds. The most significant coastal live oak hammocks or cheniers form on salt domes along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Salt domes are formed when large salt deposits beneath the sediment rise in response to differential loading. The largest salt dome in the region is High Island, which at 38 ft (12m) above sea-level is the highest point along the coast for hundreds of miles in either direction. Small shell mound hammocks are anthropogenic in origin and form from middens used as disposal sites for mollusk shells by indigenous people reaching heights well above the regular flood line.  This habitat is humid year-round with pleasant, frost-free winters and hot summers. Large storms are prevalent in the summer months and roughly 80% of the annual precipitation occurs during this period. 
The Coastal Live Oak Chenier subtype is a dense closed canopy forest. This woodlands are typically quite short 12-35 ft (4-10m) and often gnarled and bent by persistent winds. This habitat can be shrubby and dwarfed in areas exposed to salt spray. The canopy of Coastal Live Oak and Chenier is heavily dominated by Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) with smaller amounts of Sand Laurel Oak (Quercus hemisphaerica), Sand Live Oak (Quercus geminata), Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra), Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto), and Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata). The understory is also tends to be quite dense with a diverse array of fruiting shrubs which are an important food source for wildlife. American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), winterberry (Ilex glabra), Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera), Swamp Bay (Persea palustris), and Saw Palmetto (Serranoa repens) are all common in this habitat. The forest floor is usually devoid of herbaceous plants and grasses.
The Caribbean Hardwood Hammock subtype tends to be taller and more diverse than cheniers, and generally occur in larger stands. This subtropical forest has nearly 200 species of canopy tree and nearly a dozen co-dominants including Gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba), Pigeon Plum (Coccoloba diversifolia), Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), and White Stopper (Eugenia axillaris) are almost always present. Poisonwood trees (Metopium) growing in this environment can cause severe skin irritation and should be avoided if moving off trail – look for a tree with drooping clusters of five leaflets and flaky bark with oily black patches of dried sap. The dense canopy creates a more humid environment than the surroundings and promotes growth of shade tolerant plants including many epiphytic orchids and bromeliads. There is a moderately dense midstory of vines and smaller canopy trees. The forest floor in this habitat is often bare apart from leaf litter. 
Coastal Live Oak and Hammock does not experience frequent fire but disturbance is an important part of this habitat. The low-lying coastal nature of this forest means it is regularly exposed to intense storms and hurricanes. Entire hammocks and cheniers may disappear after a strong storm but hurricanes also create high beach ridges upon which new hammocks can grow.