Sand pines have short, twisted needles and highly divided branches. The most predominant tree within the scrub is the sand pine. Sand pines have short, twisted needles and highly divided branches. Sand pine rarely reaches 100 years in age. Plants that grow here have adapted to dry conditions.
Fires play an important role in the life of scrubs.
In the absence of fires, a hardwood forest of oak will develop. Insects, disease and fire can kill or reduce the growth of sand pine. The pines pictured here may have been victims of a fire , as a short distance southwest of here we saw a large area containing burned trunks and dead trees. The bark of a mature sand pine is thin, thus it is susceptible to hot fires. Although fire can kill mature sand pine, fire is needed to release seeds from cones.