On St. Thomas, most of this forest formation has been disturbed by human activities and hurricanes. The island's tallest trees may be found in this zone. Shrubs, epiphytes and herbs may be present. Unfortunately, this forest formation has been cleared in many areas, even though it is illegal to clear vegetation within 30' of the center of a gut. Mangrove trees are halophytes, plants that thrive in and are especially adapted to salty conditions.
Red mangrove grows at the water's edge and in the tidal zone.
Black mangrove and white mangrove grow further inland in areas where flooding occurs only during high tides. On the moister north and west shores of St. Thomas, where large watersheds drain into moist basins, mangrove areas are classified as forests. In the drier parts of the islands mangrove areas may be classified as mangrove woodland where mangrove trees are more sparse or mangrove shrubland where mangrove trees are smaller and grow as shrubs. Mangroves are protected under V.I. law prohibiting the pruning, cutting, removing or disturbing of mangroves, unless a permit has been obtained from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. There are distinctly different forest types in this category, varying in structure, composition and human modification.