4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
structure. Forestry activities (e.g., logging) have reduced colonial waterbird and eagle nest- ing areas. Clearing of adjacent uplands can increase edge efects and limit the efective size of foodplain forest habitat. Water Quality. Sewer lines have been constructed along many foodplain corridors, espe- cially in urbanized areas. Tese corridors fragment foodplain forests and allow conditions for invasion of exotic plant species. Poor water quality due to nutrient inputs, reduced dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, sedimentation, and chemical contamination (among others) can have a strong impact on amphibians, turtles, and other animals associated with food- plain forests that forage or breed in aquatic areas, in addition to the direct impacts on fully aquatic species. Sediment pollution is a major problem in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Beaver activity and the creation of beaver ponds in foodplain forest can have substantial impacts on trapping sediment and associated pollutants. Invasives. Increases in amounts of non-native plants (e.g., Chinese Privet, Japanese Stiltgrass, Japanese Honeysuckle) and the overall loss of large canebreaks are partly due to the lack of infrequent fre and also certain logging practices. Understory vegetative diver- sity has declined in many areas due to modifed fooding regimes and increases in inva- sive nonnative plant species. Te reduction in overall plant diversity is often extensive due to these invasive nonnative plants and may cause problems for native fauna, though the extent of wildlife impacts is largely unknown. 4.3.5.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats While climate change may not be the most severe threat, a combination of synergistic efects with other existing conditions could stress these systems to the point where several species are unable to persist.Te efect of a changed climate is likely to vary widely among examples of this community type, depending on topographic sheltering, confguration of soil type and depth, elevation of groundwater, and the timing and duration of precipitation. Table 4.19 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats. 4.3.5.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix G provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowl- edge gaps and management concerns. Appendix H provides a list of the SGCN that depend on or are associated with this habitat type. Te vegetative cover of some foodplains was historically maintained in Switch Cane and herbaceous plants through fre and other periodic disturbance. Small remnants of “cane- brake” communities still exist throughout the Piedmont, but management strategies to
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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