4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
• Provide for habitat connectivity between nearby upland pools and other wetlands or surface waters.
• Place high priority on protecting wetlands and adjacent uplands through acquisition or easement.
4.3.10 Upland Seepages and Spray Cliffs 4.3.10.1 Ecosystem Description
Te communities included in upland seepages and spray clifs are wetlands that occur on sloping uplands and can be found across the state. Te soils are generally saturated perma- nently or for long periods. Tey are generally fairly small and contrast sharply with adjacent communities, though boundaries may be gradational. Tere are four communities in this ecosystem group: spray clifs, hillside seepage bogs, low elevation seeps, and high-elevation seeps. Spray clifs are areas kept wet by spray from waterfalls. Te other three community types are fed by groundwater seepage and their soils are saturated for much or all of the year, but they are seldom, if ever, fooded. • Most spray clif areas are vertical clifs, but gentle slopes, talus, and soil at the base of clifs are also included. Vegetation is very patchy, refecting the patchiness of soil accu- mulations. Te microclimate is generally moderated by the fowing water and sheltered position of the clifs. Tough water fow may vary with rainfall, these are probably among the most stable environments in North Carolina. Trees rooted in crevices and between rocks often grow to large size and may shade the entire area. Te bare wet rocks generally have a great diversity of mosses and liverworts. Herbs in small soil pockets include a wide variety of forbs, ferns, and sedges. • Te rarest type is the hillside seepage bog. Tese communities, in a few Piedmont locations, are wet enough to have boggy vegetation. Te vegetation is generally a patchy mix of shrubs and herbs with an open tree canopy. Many species characteristic of the Coastal Plain occur in these communities. Fire may have played a role in keeping hill- side seepage bogs open enough to allow persistence of light-requiring bog species. • Low elevation seeps, occurring in uplands or edges of foodplain throughout much of the state, are also very wet but difer in vegetation. Te factors which cause these dif- ferences are poorly known. Trees such as red maple may be present, or the seep may be shaded by canopy species from adjacent forests. • High-elevation seeps occur in the higher Mountains, where they are surrounded by spruce–fr forests, northern hardwood forests, or grass and heath bald communities. High-elevation seeps are quite variable in vegetation and setting. Some are open and
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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