4.4 Terrestrial Communities
Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. • Acquire cave habitat through purchase, conservation easement, or other perpet- ual management agreements (potential for partnerships with NC Natural Heritage Program, Te Nature Conservancy).
• Develop plans to protect caves where roosting bats or other cave resources are at risk from human intrusion.
4.4.2 Spruce–Fir Forests 4.4.1 Ecosystem Description
Red Spruce−Fraser Fir forests are considered an endangered community in North Carolina and are ranked the second most endangered ecosystem in the United States (White et al. 2012; Noss et al. 1995, Christensen NL et al. 1996 ; Rentch et al. 2007) . Tese forests are dominated by Red Spruce and Fraser Fir and occur on the high mountain tops in western North Carolina, generally over 5,500 feet in elevation. Te cold climate of the high elevations is equivalent in some ways to the boreal forests of Canada. However, the climate difers from the north in that it is less continuously cold and much wetter, with both rain and fog tending to concen- trate on the mountain tops. Spruce−fr forests are divided into two natural community types: Fraser Fir forest and Red Spruce−Fraser Fir forest, each with several variants (Schafale 2012) . Both communities tend to have dense canopies under natural conditions. A variety of distinctive shrubs and herbs, many of them more common in the northern United States, but some endemic to the south- ern Appalachians, occur beneath the canopy. Lush beds of moss and ferns cover the rocky soil and abundant fallen logs in some areas. • Fraser Fir forests occur on the highest mountain tops, where the Fraser Fir is the only tree species able to survive the cold, wind, ice, and storms in large numbers. Most Fraser Fir forests now exist as patches of dense young trees due to infestations of Balsam Wooly Adelgid, an introduced insect pest that kills adult Fraser Firs. • Red Spruce−Fraser Fir forests occur in slightly less hostile environments where Red Spruce and Yellow Birch can also persist in large numbers. Red Spruce−Fraser Fir forests have canopies of remnant spruce trees, many of which are also dying. Te least afected sites are the lowest elevation examples, which have relatively little fr. Estimates of the amount of spruce–fr habitat are quite variable depending upon a number of factors including the estimation methods and habitat defnition. Te Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plan for the Southern Blue Ridge (Hunter et al. 1999) identifes over
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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