Land use: About 40 percent of this area is in forest, including the Ocala National Forest. Pulpwood is the chief forest product, but some lumber is produced. Some of the forests are grazed. Although only about 5 percent of the area is in crops, this is the major citrus-producing area in Florida. Many kinds of winter vegetables also are grown. About 25 percent of the area is pasture, about one-half of which is improved and intensively managed. Beef cattle are the principal livestock, and dairying is an important enterprise near some of the large cities. Phosphate mines are a prominent feature in the central part of the area.
Elevation and topography: Elevation ranges from 25 to 50 m, but some hills are as much as 100 m, and a narrow strip along the western edge is at sea level. The nearly level to gently rolling coastal plain has a sandy mantle of varying thickness over limestone. The land surface is very irregular because of the many sinkholes that dot the area. Local relief is mainly a few meters, but in places it is 25 m or more.
Climate: Average annual precipitation-1,275 to 1,400 mm. Maximum precipitation is in summer, and the minimum is late in autumn and in winter. Average annual temperature-21 to 23 C. Average freeze-free period-290 to 350 days.
Water: Rainfall and ground water supply an abundance of water. Wells in the cavernous limestone underlying much of the area yield large quantities of water that is highly mineralized but otherwise of good quality. There are many lakes in the sinkholes throughout the area but few perennial streams.
Soils: The dominant soils are Psamments and Udults. They have a hyperthermic temperature regime and an udic moisture regime. Excessively drained to moderately well drained Quartzipsamments (Astatula, Candler, Tavares, and Gainesville series) are sandy throughout. Well drained and somewhat poorly drained Paleudults (Arrendondo, Apopka, Kendrick, Sparr, and Lochloosa series) have very thick and thick sandy layers over a loamy subsoil. Poorly drained, sandy Aquults and Aqualfs (Blichton, Boardman, Flemington, Fellowship, and Wacahoota series), which have a loamy and clayey subsoil, formed in sloping areas in phosphatic materials.
Potential natural vegetation: This area supports "sand hill" vegetation. Turkey oak, bluejack oak, and longleaf pine are major species. Running oak, gopher apple, and such grasses as bluestems and panicums characterize the understory.
(From "Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United
States". United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service
Handbook 296. Dec. 1981. page 114.)