4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
events and intense fre events. Other important climate change events will be from wind damage to tree species that do not regenerate and saltwater intrusion from storm surge and sea level rise. Tropical storms are predicted to become more frequent, larger, and more intense with rainfall larger than in the past. Larger rainfalls connected with violent storms will add to drainage problems in estuaries. Pocosins play an important role in climate change by acting as a carbon sink, thereby mitigating CO 2 emissions from human activities. Te carbon gained by pocosin ecosystems through photosynthesis is taken from the atmosphere and stored in biomass that does not decompose. So the primary productivity of pocosins ofsets CO 2 emissions produced through use of fossil fuels and land use activities. Pocosin communities can also be large carbon sources, adding CO 2 to the atmosphere. For example, if vegetation burns, CO 2 is released into the atmosphere adding to the greenhouse gas efect driving climate change. If peat burns, the CO 2 release will be much larger than from just the vegetation alone. Predicted warmer temperatures and longer summer droughts will lead to increased fres. Burning vegetation and peat will generate large amounts of greenhouse gases. Te change in landscape from large fres fed by climate change factors and fre suppression will burn hotter, longer, and cover more area than occurred in the natural fre cycle. Te new burn- ing cycle will compromise the quality of the habitat needed by wildlife. Table 4.22 summa- rizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats. 4.3.8.5 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 identifes SGCN that depend on or are associated with this habitat type. In general, little detailed information exists for many wildlife species that use pocosin habitats because of the impenetrable nature of these communities. Few surveys have been done on a long-term basis, which makes land management decisions difcult. We also lack detailed information about populations of small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians in pocosin habitats (Mitchell 1992) . Black Bears are dependent on the large undisturbed areas that pocosins ofer in the east. Further reduction in this habitat type could impact bear populations. Te remoteness and thickness of the vegetation in the peatland pocosin makes it the ideal habitat for resident and migratory species and protects them from human disturbance. Pocosins are particularly important for wintering birds because of the high amount of soft mast available. Greenbrier, Red Bay, Sweet Bay, and many ericaceous shrubs produce large
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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