4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
Communities that occur in blackwater foodplains include: Coastal Plain levee forest and bottomland hardwoods on the larger foodplains, cypress-gum swamps in the wettest and forested parts of the foodplain, Coastal Plain small stream swamps, Coastal Plain semi-permanent impoundments (e.g., Beaver ponds, millponds), oxbow lakes along the large rivers in abandoned channel segments, and sand and mud bars along the rivers (Schafale and Weakley 1990) . 4.3.3.2 Location of Habitat Blackwater rivers originate in the Coastal Plain ecoregion and many are located in the lower portion of the river basins that drain to the Atlantic coast. Examples of blackwa- ter streams and rivers include the South River, Black River, Waccamaw River, and the Northeast Cape Fear River. Te Lumber River mainstem is the only North Carolina black- water river designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. 4.3.3.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Te foodplain forest systems of the Coastal Plain in the southeast are now only small fragments and sections of the original millions of acres present before European settlement that have been lost or altered by development, drainage, agriculture, and logging (Weller and Stegman 1977) . Climate Variability. Milder winters will result in potentially longer growing seasons and earlier bloom times for plants and earlier breeding periods for reptiles and amphibi- ans. Most species in this habitat type have a southeastern distribution and are fairly well adapted to higher temperatures. Increased temperatures will likely result in decreased winter kills of nonnative species and will likely allow these species native to areas further south to survive and reproduce. Insect infestations may increase and negatively afect forest health. Drought conditions will allow invasion of upland species (e.g., Red Maples and beech). Some more southern species may migrate into these communities. Conversion of lower river areas to tidal marsh will allow the Common Reed to invade. Increased tem- peratures and decreased winter kills will allow southern species to move farther north (e.g., the Asian Dayfower , Japanese Climbing Fern , Chinese Tallow Tree). Storms. Increased hurricane intensity will increase blow down, especially near the coast. Bottomland hardwoods are more likely to be afected by windthrow than other foodplain communities. Increased canopy gaps may result from increased storm wind damage and from food scouring. Flooding could beneft canebrakes and their associated species, but both the magnitude and direction of the efects are uncertain. Species composition could change following storm damage, resulting in loss of mast-producing species. Increased severity of fooding may destabilize channels, alter sediment load and deposition, and
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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