Addendum 2
Chapter 3 Species
3.15.6 Management Needs
Management needs for rare species are directly linked to the threats faced by those species. In order to address an overarching threat like habitat loss, protection from development (both direct land conversion and indirect encroachment) is key. Habitat degradation is often followed by habitat destruction. Therefore, many of North Carolina’s most important plant habitats need protection from land conversion or development. Management activities need to include mitigation of both on-and off-site threats and restoration of previous damages. Thus, it is possible for several rare species living in similar habitats to have similar management needs, while some other species have varying management needs in different parts of their range. In other words, a management prescription depends on the threats and damages being addressed.
Despite habitats varying across North Carolina, land managers will likely find themselves addressing one or more of the following management needs, regardless of their location.
• Fire suppression is one of the largest threats to North Carolina’s plant species and thus, prescribed fire is recommended to mitigate woody encroachment and other impacts of fire suppression. Careful planning is needed not only for safety, but also to obtain the best outcomes from each fire. For instance, to reduce competing vegetation, the timing of prescribed burns (season and interval) is important. • Although prescribed burning is a supported and growing practice in our state, the need for prescribed fires is greater than what can be met with existing resources. Understanding what other management practices can be used as fire surrogates will be increasingly important as these and other constraints limit the use of fire as the primary management tool in areas where fire is needed. ꟷ Climate change is lengthening the natural wildfire season in our region and elsewhere in the country. The direct and indirect impacts of this longer season result in personnel and resources needed for prescribed burning being deployed to containment and suppression efforts, effectively shortening the prescribed fire window of opportunity due to lack of available resources.
ꟷ Climate change is also leading to more extreme weather which is further redu cing the number of “good burning days” available to fire practitioners.
ꟷ Lastly, increasing development, as discussed earlier, is greatly increasing the wildland-urban interface which adds additional safety and sensitivity concerns to
2022 Addendum 2
3A2- 6
NC Wildlife Action Plan
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