Native Groundcover: The Engine of a Healthy Forest

The Forgotten Layer

When landowners think about their forests, they think about trees. Pine sawtimber. Mast-producing oaks. The big, visible components of the landscape that define how a forest looks and what it is worth.

But the most important layer of a southeastern forest is not the canopy — it is the ground layer. The grasses, wildflowers, legumes, and forbs that grow in the first two feet above the soil surface are the biological engine that drives the entire ecosystem. They feed the wildlife. They carry the fire. They protect the soil. They indicate whether the forest is healthy or degraded. And when they disappear — as they do in millions of acres of fire-suppressed southeastern forests — everything else declines with them.

Native groundcover is the most overlooked, most undervalued, and most important component of southeastern forest health. This guide explains what it is, why it matters, how it works, and what you can do to protect and restore it on your property.

What Is Native Groundcover?

Native groundcover is the herbaceous (non-woody) plant community that grows at ground level in southeastern forests. In a healthy, fire-maintained forest, this layer is a dense, diverse carpet of grasses, wildflowers, legumes, sedges, and other herbaceous plants that covers 60–90% of the forest floor.

The Major Components

Native warm-season grasses: The structural backbone of southeastern groundcover. Key species include:

Wiregrass (Aristida stricta/beyrichiana): The dominant groundcover grass of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Wiregrass forms dense bunch grass clumps that carry fire, provide nesting cover, and are the signature species of healthy pine savannas. It flowers almost exclusively after growing-season fire.
Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus): A common, widespread native grass that colonizes disturbed sites and open forests. Often the first native grass to appear after canopy opening.
Splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius): A beautiful silvery-white bluestem found on drier, sandier sites.
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium): A bunch grass found across a wide range of southeastern habitats, from dry sandhills to mesic flatwoods.
Lopsided Indiangrass (Sorghastrum secundum): A tall, warm-season grass of mesic flatwoods and savannas.
Panicgrasses (Dichanthelium spp.): Low-growing, early-season grasses that provide critical spring food for wildlife. Over 30 species of Dichanthelium are found in the Southeast.

Native legumes: The protein producers of the forest floor. Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen through their root symbioses, enriching the soil while producing seeds that are among the most important wildlife foods in the Southeast:

Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata): An annual legume that produces abundant hard-coated seeds consumed by quail, turkey, doves, and other ground-feeding birds.
Sensitive plant (Chamaecrista nictitans): A smaller relative of partridge pea with similar wildlife value.
Tick trefoils (Desmodium spp.): Multiple species of perennial legumes that produce nutritious seeds and foliage eaten by deer, turkey, and quail.
Lespedezas (native species): Several native lespedeza species provide high-quality seed food for wildlife. (Note: sericea lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata, is a non-native invasive that should be controlled.)
Dollar weed (Rhynchosia spp.): Trailing legumes found in pine flatwoods and sandhills.

Native wildflowers: The diversity engine. Southeastern pine forests support dozens of wildflower species, including:

Liatris (Liatris spp.): Blazing stars — showy purple-flowered perennials that are among the most fire-responsive species in the Southeast.
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.): Multiple species that bloom in fall, providing critical late-season pollinator forage.
Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.): Fall-blooming wildflowers that complement goldenrod.
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Native sunflowers that produce energy-rich seeds.
Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.): Essential host plants for monarch butterflies.
Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.): Florida’s state wildflower — multiple species are found across the Southeast.

Sedges and rushes: Often overlooked but ecologically important components of wetter sites and flatwoods.

Why Native Groundcover Matters

Groundcover as Wildlife Food

The connection between native groundcover and wildlife abundance is direct, measurable, and profound. Research from across the Southeast consistently demonstrates:

Seed production: A healthy native groundcover community produces 200–500 pounds of seed per acre per year. This is the primary food source for bobwhite quail, native sparrows, doves, and other granivorous (seed-eating) birds. In a forest without native groundcover, this food source drops to near zero.

Insect production: Native plants support native insects. A landmark study by entomologist Doug Tallamy found that native plants support 4–10 times more insect species than non-native plants. This matters enormously for insectivorous wildlife:

Turkey poults depend almost entirely on insects for their first 6–8 weeks
Quail chicks are heavily insectivorous for their first 2–3 weeks
Songbird nestlings are fed insects almost exclusively
Even adult deer consume significant quantities of invertebrates incidentally while browsing

Browse and forage: The leaves, stems, and flowers of native groundcover plants are consumed directly by deer, rabbits, and other herbivores. Native legumes are particularly nutritious, with protein content often exceeding 15–20% in young growth.

Soft mast: Many native groundcover species produce fleshy fruits — blueberry, huckleberry, beautyberry, dewberry — that are consumed by a wide range of wildlife from songbirds to black bears.

Groundcover as Fire Fuel

In fire-adapted southeastern ecosystems, native groundcover is the fuel that carries prescribed fire. This is not a minor ecological detail — it is the fundamental mechanism by which these ecosystems maintain themselves.

How it works: Native warm-season bunch grasses (wiregrass, bluestems, broomsedge) produce fine, flashy fuels — dry leaf blades and stems that ignite easily and burn quickly at low intensity. This fuel carries fire evenly across the forest floor, killing small hardwood stems, consuming accumulated leaf litter, and stimulating the next generation of groundcover growth.

Without groundcover fuel: When native groundcover is lost to mesophication, the fine fuel structure is replaced by compact, moist hardwood leaf litter that does not carry fire effectively. Prescribed burns in groundcover-depleted forests are difficult to conduct, burn unevenly, and often fail to achieve management objectives. This is the feedback loop described in our mesophication guide.

The fire-groundcover cycle: Fire stimulates groundcover growth. Groundcover produces fuel that carries fire. Fire stimulates more groundcover growth. This positive feedback loop is the mechanism by which southeastern pine ecosystems maintain themselves over centuries.

Groundcover as Ecosystem Indicator

Experienced land managers read the groundcover like a diagnostic report. The species composition, density, and diversity of the groundcover layer tell you more about the health and management history of a forest than almost any other single observation:

Abundant, diverse native groundcover = fire-maintained, ecologically healthy forest
Sparse groundcover dominated by shade-tolerant species = early to mid-stage mesophication
No groundcover, only leaf litter = advanced mesophication, fire-excluded for decades
Groundcover dominated by invasive species = invasion in progress, native community displaced
Groundcover dominated by non-native pasture grasses (bahia, bermuda) = former agricultural use, native seed bank likely depleted

Groundcover and Soil Health

The root systems of native groundcover plants — particularly native warm-season grasses — are extensive and deep. Wiregrass roots can extend 3–4 feet into the soil. These root systems:

Prevent erosion: The dense root network holds soil particles in place, dramatically reducing surface erosion and sedimentation of waterways.
Build soil organic matter: Root turnover contributes organic carbon to the soil, improving soil structure, water-holding capacity, and nutrient availability.
Support soil biology: The rhizosphere (the zone immediately surrounding roots) supports an enormous community of fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates that drive nutrient cycling.
Sequester carbon: Belowground carbon storage in root systems and soil organic matter is a significant carbon sink in fire-maintained ecosystems.

How Groundcover Is Lost

Fire Suppression

The primary cause of groundcover loss in the Southeast is fire suppression. When fire is excluded:

Shade-tolerant hardwoods invade the understory
The hardwood mid-story blocks sunlight from reaching the ground
Light-dependent native grasses and wildflowers decline
The fuel structure shifts from fine, flashy fuels to compact hardwood leaf litter
Even if fire is reintroduced, it cannot burn effectively in the altered fuel structure

This is the mesophication process described in detail in our mesophication guide.

Invasive Species

Invasive plants displace native groundcover both directly (by outcompeting native species for light and growing space) and indirectly (by altering soil chemistry and microsite conditions). The most damaging invasive species for groundcover in the Southeast include:

Cogongrass: Forms dense, monotypic stands that exclude all native vegetation
Chinese privet: Shades out groundcover from above
Japanese stiltgrass: An aggressive annual grass that forms dense mats in the understory
Old World climbing fern: Smothers groundcover by growing over it

Land Conversion

Agricultural conversion, development, and pine plantation establishment on former native groundcover sites have destroyed the native plant community on millions of acres. On these sites, the native seed bank is often depleted, requiring active restoration (planting) to reestablish groundcover.

Overgrazing

On properties with livestock history, overgrazing can eliminate native groundcover and replace it with a degraded community of weedy, non-native species. Recovery from overgrazing is possible but requires removing or reducing grazing pressure, combined with fire and (often) supplemental planting.

How to Restore and Maintain Native Groundcover

Step 1: Restore Sunlight

Nothing matters until sunlight reaches the forest floor. As described in our guide on why sunlight matters, native groundcover needs a minimum of 25–30% of full sunlight to establish, and most species perform best at 40–60%.

Restoring sunlight typically requires:

Mid-story hardwood removal: Via forestry mulching or other mechanical methods
Overstory thinning: If the pine canopy itself is too dense, commercial thinning may be needed
Invasive species removal: Removing invasive shrubs and trees that shade the ground layer

Step 2: Reintroduce Fire

Prescribed fire is the maintenance tool that sustains native groundcover once sunlight has been restored. Fire:

Removes accumulated leaf litter that smothers groundcover
Kills small hardwood stems that would eventually shade out groundcover
Stimulates native grass and wildflower growth, flowering, and seed production
Scarifies hard-coated seeds of native legumes, stimulating germination

The first burn after mechanical treatment is a critical step. It begins the fire-groundcover feedback loop that will sustain the system long-term.

Step 3: Assess the Seed Bank

After canopy opening and the first burn, observe what emerges. If native grasses and wildflowers begin appearing within the first growing season, the seed bank is at least partially intact and natural recovery may be sufficient.

If little or no native groundcover appears after a full growing season — or if the emerging vegetation is predominantly weedy or invasive — the seed bank may be depleted and supplemental planting is warranted.

Step 4: Supplemental Planting (If Needed)

Where the native seed bank is exhausted, planting native grasses, wildflowers, and legumes accelerates restoration. Options include:

Broadcast seeding: Native seed mixes are broadcast across prepared (burned or mulched) ground. This is the most cost-effective method for large areas but has lower germination rates than container planting.

Plug planting: Greenhouse-grown native grass and wildflower plugs are planted into the ground at specified spacing. More labor-intensive and expensive per acre but produces higher establishment rates. Particularly useful for difficult-to-establish species like wiregrass.

Seed source considerations: Use seed from local ecotypes whenever possible. Native plants have adapted to local soil, climate, and fire conditions over thousands of years. Seed from distant sources may not perform as well and could introduce genetic material not adapted to local conditions.

Timing: Fall (September–November) is the best season for planting most native groundcover species in the Southeast. Seeds planted in fall benefit from winter dormancy and are ready to germinate with spring rains.

Step 5: Long-Term Management

Once established, native groundcover is maintained through the same management cycle that maintains the overall forest ecosystem:

Prescribed fire on 1–3 year rotation: The single most important maintenance tool
Invasive species monitoring and control: Prevent invasive species from re-establishing in the managed groundcover
Canopy management: Periodic thinning or TSI to maintain adequate light levels as the forest grows
Grazing management: If livestock are present, managed grazing (rotational, seasonal) can be compatible with native groundcover, but continuous, heavy grazing will destroy it

Groundcover and EQIP

Native groundcover restoration and maintenance qualify for EQIP cost-share funding under several practice codes:

Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (Code 645): Covers comprehensive groundcover management as part of a wildlife habitat plan
Restoration of Rare or Declining Habitats (Code 643): Specifically designed for restoration of ecosystems like longleaf pine savannas where groundcover is a defining component
Brush Management (Code 314): Covers mid-story removal that is necessary to restore sunlight for groundcover recovery
Prescribed Burning (Code 338): Covers the fire management that maintains groundcover
Herbaceous Weed Treatment (Code 315): Covers invasive species control that protects native groundcover

A well-structured EQIP application that combines canopy management, fire, and invasive species control for groundcover restoration ranks highly in the competitive process because it addresses multiple resource concerns simultaneously.

Native Groundcover in Central Florida

Central Florida’s native groundcover communities are among the most diverse and ecologically important in the Southeast. The region’s sandhill communities feature wiregrass, runner oak, and dozens of native wildflower species that are adapted to the deep sandy soils and frequent fire regime of the Florida peninsula.

However, Central Florida also faces unique challenges:

Year-round growing season: Invasive species grow aggressively 12 months a year, requiring vigilant monitoring and control
Development pressure: Urbanization has fragmented native groundcover habitat, making remaining tracts more isolated and vulnerable
Brazilian pepper and cogongrass: Two of the most aggressive invasive species in the Southeast are particularly problematic in Central Florida
Fire suppression: Urban encroachment has restricted prescribed fire opportunities in many areas

For Central Florida landowners, investing in native groundcover restoration and maintenance is one of the most ecologically impactful actions available. TreeShop provides wildlife habitat restoration and longleaf pine restoration services that prioritize native groundcover as the foundation of ecosystem recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for native groundcover to recover?

If the seed bank is intact, visible recovery can begin within weeks of canopy opening and the first prescribed burn. A recognizable native groundcover community typically develops within 2–3 growing seasons. Full maturity — with maximum species diversity and groundcover density — takes 5–10 years of consistent fire management. If the seed bank is depleted, add 2–3 years for supplemental planting to establish.

Can I plant native groundcover under my existing forest?

Only if the forest floor receives adequate sunlight (at least 25–30% of full sunlight). Planting native groundcover under a dense canopy is a waste of seed and money — the plants will not survive without light. Canopy management must come first.

Is native groundcover compatible with livestock grazing?

Yes, with proper management. Rotational grazing at moderate stocking rates — where livestock are moved through pasture units on a schedule that allows recovery between grazing periods — can be compatible with native groundcover. Continuous, heavy grazing will destroy native groundcover and should be avoided on restoration sites.

What is the most valuable single species for wildlife?

If forced to name one species, many southeastern wildlife biologists would choose partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata). This annual legume produces abundant seeds eaten by quail, turkey, and doves; fixes nitrogen to enrich the soil; provides insect habitat; responds vigorously to fire; and germinates readily from the seed bank. It is also one of the easiest native species to establish from seed.

How does native groundcover affect my property value?

Native groundcover is a direct indicator of habitat quality, which is a primary driver of recreational property value in the Southeast. Properties with well-established native groundcover command premium hunting lease rates and higher sale prices. The aesthetic value — a diverse, colorful carpet of native grasses and wildflowers rather than bare dirt and dead leaves — also contributes to the overall appeal and market value of the property.