4.4 Terrestrial Communities
T ABLE 4.27 Comparison of climate change with other threats to spruce−fr forests
Rank Order Comments
Threat
Climate Change
1 Tis ecosystem is among the most vulnerable to the efects of climate change of any in the state. Warmer winters will result in reduced snow fall and less snow pack, which in turn afects soil moisture gradients. 1 Te Balsam Woolly Adelgid is the most severe threat to Fraser Fir forests. Insect outbreaks have occurred in several areas, including Roan Mountain, the Black Mountains, and the Great Balsam Mountains ( NCWRC 2005 ). Changes in seasonal temperatures may allow pest species to survive during warmer winters and thus exacerbate the threat of insect outbreaks (Logan et al. 2003) . 1 Air pollution (including acid rain, ozone, and lead deposition) generated in other areas is carried by prevailing winds and deposited through precipitation. Acid rain kills or stunts new growth and contributes to heavy metal toxicity in soils. 2 Te natural vegetation virtually never burns under the current climate, and the biota are not adapted to fre. Spruce−fr habitats in North Carolina are now found within a narrow range of suitable conditions, isolated from each other and the rest of their range. Tis condition alone makes them more susceptible to perturbation and catastrophic events. 3 Te Parkway and its associated developments (the motor road, vistas, and visitor facilities) have had a signifcant impact on the amount of spruce−fr habitats avail- able (NCWRC 2005) . While wind turbine farms are unlikely to be built where stands of spruce−fr forests are still present, there is some potential for them to be sited on ridge-tops where spruce−fr once occurred and could be potentially restored. 4 Much of the spruce was logged in the early 20th century and in some areas (notably the Great Balsams), slash fres burned not only the coarse woody debris, but also the organic soil, which has subsequently inhibited the redevelopment of spruce−fr forests over large areas (Schafale and Weakley 1990) .
Invasive Species
Air Pollution
Fire
Development
Logging/ Exploitation
4.4.2.5 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. Spruce−fr provides critical habitat for numerous plant and animal species found nowhere else in North Carolina. Twenty species or subspecies of invertebrates are endemic to spruce−fr forests in the southern Appalachians. Another nine are highly disjunct within this region, with their next nearest populations located in New England or Canada (some may turn out to be distinct species once genetic studies are done). Still more such spe- cies exist within other insect orders and in other invertebrate taxa such as myriapods, Tardigrades, and land snails. For terrestrial animals, this level of endemism/disjunction is unmatched by any other habitat group in the state.
Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, a federal listed endangered subspecies, forages on conifers and fungi found in high-elevation spruce−fr and hardwood forests. Te moist,
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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