4.4 Terrestrial Communities
4.4.14 Maritime Forests 4.4.14.1 Ecosystem Description
Woody vegetation on the barrier islands includes well-developed forests with canopies typically dominated by Live Oak, Sand Laurel Oak, and Loblolly Pine; Cabbage Palms are a distinctive component in the Cape Fear area. It also includes the distinctive scrubby woody growth of stabilized sand dunes, dune swales, and sand fats. A few areas on the mainland shore of the sounds share the characteristic species of the barrier island maritime forests. Te much rarer maritime deciduous forests are dominated by beech, American Holly, Loblolly Pine, and Hickory on the northern barrier islands. Schafale and Weakley’s Tird Approximation (1990) classifes maritime forested and shrub communities as Maritime Shrub, Maritime Evergreen Forest, Maritime Deciduous Forest, Maritime Swamp Forest, and Maritime Shrub Forest. Updates to the community descrip- tion separates maritime forests into Maritime Upland Forest and Maritime Wetland types (Schafale 2012) . Te Maritime Upland Forest includes shrub, evergreen and deciduous forests, marsh hammock, and coastal fringe shell woodlands in the description. Maritime Wetland Forest includes grassland, interdune marsh and pond, and estuarine forests in the commu- nity type. • Maritime Upland Forests have relatively low species richness, but a number of species are largely confned to these communities, at least in North Carolina. Such specialized species include Yaupon, Carolina Laurel Cherry, and Devilwood. Salt spray is a major ecological infuence on these communities. Where the vegetation is frequently exposed to salt spray, it is signifcantly stunted. Te forest cannot persist in areas with the most severe salt spray and are dependent on the shelter of dunes for their occurrence. Maritime Upland Forests are also subject to the catastrophic disturbances of coastal storms, including high winds, erosion, and saltwater fooding from storm tides and overwash. • Maritime Wetland Forests occur in wet sites on barrier islands and near the sounds on the mainland. Tere are three community types: maritime swamp forest, maritime shrub swamp, and estuarine fringe Loblolly Pine forest. • Maritime Swamp Forests and maritime shrub swamps occur on barrier islands in dune swales which are sheltered from the most extreme salt spray and from seawater over- wash. Te soils are saturated for much of the year and may be fooded for substantial periods. Maritime Swamp Forests have a canopy of tall wetland trees which vary from place to place. Dominants include swamp Black Gum, Red Maple, Ash, Water Oak, Sweetgum, Loblolly Pine, and Bald Cypress.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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