maritime forest
{{Short description|Ecological habitat}}
File:Necochea Parque Miguel Lillo Buenos Aires Argentina.JPG, Argentina.]]
A maritime forest is an ocean coastal wooded habitat found on higher ground than dune areas within range of salt spray.{{cite web|url=http://www.baylink.org/fieldtrips/glossary.html|title=Key Word Glossary|publisher=bay link|accessdate=16 October 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022095230/http://www.baylink.org/fieldtrips/glossary.html|archivedate=22 October 2009}} They can be found along the Atlantic and Pacific Northwest coasts of the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLSpec/Hammock_Habitat.htm|title=Maritime Hammock Habitats|last=Hill|first=K.|date=16 July 2002|publisher=Smithsonian Marine Station|accessdate=16 October 2009|archive-date=6 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006011348/http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLspec/Hammock_Habitat.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6MGuBAAAQBAJ&q=%22forested+maritime%22&pg=PA138|title=The Pacific Northwest Garden Tour|last=Olson
|first=Donald|date=23 July 2014|publisher=Timber Press |isbn=9781604694512}}
The maritime forests of the southeast U.S. are often laurel forests.
They can also be found in areas of South-East Asia, for example Chek Jawa, a wetland reserve which also features a maritime forest as one of the independent ecosystem.
Flora
High winds, salt spray, and sandy soil provide a harsh environment for plant life. Maritime forests are composed of deciduous, coniferous, and broadleaf evergreens. Trees in maritime forests include the southern sugar maple,{{cite web|url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexa_e.htm|title=Trees of the Maritime Forest (A-E)|last=Russell|first=Alice B.|publisher=North Carolina State University|accessdate=16 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614204641/http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexa_e.htm|archive-date=14 June 2010|url-status=dead}} swamp dogwood, mockernut hickory, white ash,{{cite web|url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexf_j.htm|title=Trees of the Maritime Forest (F-J)|last=Russell|first=Alice B.|publisher=North Carolina State University|accessdate=16 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709142720/http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexf_j.htm|archive-date=9 July 2010|url-status=dead}} and the white poplar.{{cite web|url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexp_t.htm|title=Trees of the Maritime Forest (P-Z)|last=Russell|first=Alice P.|publisher=North Carolina State University|accessdate=16 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723222804/http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/maritime/Indexp_t.htm|archive-date=23 July 2010|url-status=dead}} Many plants in the maritime forests have a natural waxy coating to protect them from the salt spray. Most of the plants found in maritime forests are evergreens and shrubs along with a low population on pitcher plants.
Fauna
Animals that live in these forests include foxes, deer, rabbits, tree frogs, raccoons, toads, silver-back gorillas, and painted buntings.
Places
Some places where maritime forests can be found are: Bald Head Island (North Carolina), Necochea (Argentina), Jekyll Island (Georgia), and on almost all barrier islands, such as the Currituck Banks Reserve{{Cite web |url=http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/web/crp/currituck-banks |title=Currituck Banks Reserve |access-date=2020-10-15 |archive-date=2020-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017135926/http://nccoastalreserve.net/web/crp/currituck-banks |url-status=live }} in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.{{Cite web|last=US Department of Commerce|first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=What is a maritime forest?|url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/maritime-forest.html|access-date=2020-10-15|website=oceanservice.noaa.gov|archive-date=2020-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017083153/https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/maritime-forest.html|url-status=live}}