The vegetation communities in South Latourette Park are of 14 primary types: middle aged to mature oak dominated forest; middle aged to mature mixed forest; young to middle aged mixed forest; brush field/early successional woodland; mixed herbaceous meadow areas with and without young trees; bluestem meadows; common reed or Phragmites (Phragmites) dominated high tidal marsh; Phragmites dominated freshwater wetland; Phragmites dominated upland; Phragmites dominated landfill; tidal marsh; recreation turf grass areas; and tree islands and tree lines associated with the golf course (Fig. 4). These can be grouped into four general vegetation types: Phragmites dominated; middle aged to mature forest; meadows and young forests; and turfgrass. Plant community types are influenced by slope, aspect, soil type, and soil moisture. The greatest influence on the current vegetation in South Latourette Park is time elapsed since the disturbance of soil and vegetation by humans and the severity of that disturbance. By the time of the American Revolution, all the original forest had been removed to create farm fields or pasture land. These forests once covered the entire area other than the marsh. They were dominated by oak, chestnut, beech, and other mixed hardwood trees, with scattered white pine. Some eastern red cedar may have been near the forest edge, and Atlantic white cedar may have been in freshwater areas closer to the high marsh edges and in the upstream end of the high marsh where the freshwater Richmond Creek entered (Wallkill soils).

Figure 4. Specific vegetation community types: (1) middle aged to mature oak dominated forest, (2) middle aged to mature mixed forest, (3) young to middle aged mixed forest, (4) mixed herbaceous meadows with young trees, (5) mixed herbaceous meadows without young trees, (6) brush field/early successional woodland, (7) bluestem meadows, (8) Phragmites dominated high tidal marsh, (9) Phragmites dominated freshwater wetland, (10) Phragmites dominated upland, (11) Phragmites dominated former landfill, (12) tidal marsh, (13) turf grass of the golf course and recreation areas, and (14) tree islands and tree lines of the golf course area. Water ponds (15) are also shown.