4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
are saturated in the wetter seasons, may have shallow standing water, and do not experi- ence overfow fooding. Te wetness comes from poor drainage and sheet fow from adjoin- ing peatlands. Te soils are less acidic and infertile than the peat soils of pocosins, but they do not have the regular nutrient input of river foodplains. Organic deposits are generally lacking, though occasional examples are found on organic soils where some other factor ofsets the tendency of these soils to support pocosins. In the wettest areas, bald cypress, swamp black gum, and red maple dominate. Where these areas transition to peatland, loblolly pine, pond pine, and Atlantic white cedar may also be present. In less saturated nonalluvial wetlands, trees characteristic of bottom- land hardwood systems dominate: cherrybark oak, laurel oak, swamp chestnut oak, tulip poplar, sweetgum, American elm, and red maple. Tere are three community types that difer in wetness and the nature of the soil: non-riverine swamp forests, non-riverine wet hardwood forests, and wet marl forest. • Non-riverine swamp forests occur in the wettest sites. Tey are dominated by trees tolerant of extreme wetness, such as bald cypress, swamp black gum, and red maple. A distinctive variant, transitional to peatland communities, has these species mixed with loblolly pine, pond pine, and Atlantic white cedar. • Non-riverine wet hardwood forests occur in less wet areas. Tey are dominated by trees typically called “bottomland hardwoods.” Te undergrowth is usually open beneath the closed canopy, but sometimes dense cane or shrubs occur. • Te wet marl forest type occurs where marl or limestone occurs near the surface and afects the soil. Tis extremely rare community is completely isolated, and is frag- mented. Although they are wet, these soils are not acidic and are more fertile than most Coastal Plain soils. Te vegetation is dominated by a diverse mixture of tree, shrub, and herb layers. Dwarf palmetto is an abundant and distinctive part of the shrub layer. Te 2005 WAP described Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain nonalluvial mineral wetlands as a pri- ority habitat (see Chapter 5) ( NCWRC 2005 ). 4.3.7.2 Location of Habitat Examples of this habitat type can be found in the Alligator River, Swanquarter, and Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuges, Hofmann Forest, Rocky Point, and several swamps (Van and East Dismal) in Washington County.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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