4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
somewhat boggy, with peat moss, sundews, and even cranberries present. Others are shaded by canopy and more closely resemble a rich northern hardwood forest.
4.3.10.2 Location of Habitat Tis group of communities covers a wide geographic range in the Mountains and Piedmont ecoregions. High-elevation mountain seepage communities are usually surrounded by spruce–fr forests, northern hardwood forests, or grass and heath bald communi- ties. Low-elevation seeps tend to occur at the bases of slopes in the Piedmont and lower Mountains, just above a foodplain. Spray clifs are more likely to occur in gorges and riverine areas. Examples of spray clifs can be found in the Nantahala National Forest, Bonas Defeat Gorge on the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, Reid Branch waterfalls in Transylvania County, Phillips Branch waterfalls in Caldwell County, and the Dismal Creek waterfalls in Transylvania County (Stevenson 2015) . 4.3.10.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Treats to individual seepages and spray clifs are extremely variable and include: invasive plants; death of Canada hemlock trees due to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid; development on or adjacent to the community; recreational trampling; stream fooding and scouring or downcutting; depletion of ground water pools that supply seepage; ditching or drainage; increased temperatures in sheltered refugia; and vegetational succession in the absence of fre or other natural disturbance. Tis ecosystem is highly threatened overall, with or with- out climate change. Te communities located at high elevations are the most likely to be afected by increased temperatures. Some distinctive high-elevation species may be lost, while some lower ele- vation species may be able to migrate into them. Warmer temperatures may allow exotic species to invade. Some seeps have increased in tree cover due to fre suppression or other alterations, and loss of tree cover may be positive in some examples. 4.3.10.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help defne short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. While climate change is not 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 these commu- nities, depending on topographic sheltering, confguration of rocks, soil depth, size of groundwater pools, and amount of overland runof. Tese systems are tied to specialized
373
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online