Gulf Hammock (wetlands)

Gulf Hammock is a wetlands area in the southern end of Levy County, Florida.

It extends along the Gulf of Mexico coast from Cedar Key to the Withlacoochee River, and reaches several miles inland.

[4] Gulf Hammock historically covered more than 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) in Levy County, but has been considerably reduced in size due to conversion to farmland and pine plantations.

[5] The Gulf Hammock Wildlife Management Area consists of more than 24,000 acres (9,700 ha) owned by private timber companies.

Gulf Hammock is generally flat and low lying, rising to no more than 25 feet (7.6 m) above sea level,[2] except for some relict sand dunes that occur inland from Cedar Key.

During the driest months, November, April and May, streams and sloughs often stop flowing, and the soil in higher areas may dry out completely.

As a consequence of the ongoing sea level rise, the salt marsh zone has advanced inland an average of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) along the coast in Gulf Hammock between 1858 and 1995.

The coastal hammocks are composed primarily of cabbage palms, red cedars and live oaks.

[19] Eighty archaeological sites, primarily shell mounds, have been documented within the boundaries of the Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park (which includes about one-third of the area of the historic Gulf Hammock).

[21] Artifacts recovered at two sites in Gulf Hammock in the 1990s indicate human presence there in the late Paleoindian or early Archaic period.

[24] The part of Gulf Hammock now in the Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park is uninhabited.

[27] In 1896 a hurricane knocked down large numbers of red cedar trees in Gulf Hammock and along the adjacent coastline.

[29] Damage to the Eberhard Faber mill was repaired following the storm, but it closed just two years later due to a shortage of cedar wood.

[27] Hardwood trees of the hydric hammocks were taken for furniture and crate manufacture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

New growth had not reached the size of old trees left in the more remote parts of Gulf Hammock by late in the 20th century.

Other than for red cedar, logging was selective before the 20th century, taking only the trees with the highest market value at the time.

The Royal Brush and Broom Company operated a palm fiber factory in the community of Gulf Hammock in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.