Caravelle Ranch - Natural Communities

The most extensive natural communities on Caravelle are pine flatwoods, floodplain swamp and bottomland forests, and improved pasture. Aerial photos from the 1940s indicate that flatwoods on both the east and the west sides of SR 19 were sparsely populated with slash pine interspersed with numerous small (less than 5 acres) bayhead and cypress swamps.

Management

Previous owners cleared and ditched portions of Caravelle in the early 1970s to create improved pastures for cattle grazing. Today managers are using various methods to restore portions of these pastures to more natural communities by planting longleaf pine and by removing bahia and other exotic grasses. Prescribed fire is a critical component to restoration. Portions of disturbed pasture sites are used as dove fields, food plots, and wildlife openings.