4.4 Terrestrial Communities
Concerns about uncontrolled fre, liability, air quality, social acceptance, and smoke man- agement, and lack of landowners with the experience and equipment to conduct controlled burns have limited the use of fre on private lands. Fallow or unmowed areas are seen by many as “messy” and “weedy,” and an indicator of a lack of caring or efort by a landowner. Tis widespread public perception is partially responsible for fallow habitats being reduced in habitat quality or eliminated. Early suc- cession cover in powerline rights-of-way and roadsides is often adversely afected by too frequent or poorly timed mowing. In addition, many areas of fallow ground near houses or businesses are frequently mowed to maintain a neat appearance, while opportunities exist to convert some of these areas to suitable wildlife cover. Piedmont prairies contain highly diverse and specialized plant and insect communi- ties. Currently, only small remnant tracts remain. Fire and/or low intensity agricultural operations are necessary to maintain prairie communities. Current restoration eforts are focused on plant conservation and have been implemented on small acreages that have limited value for area-sensitive grassland species such as Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. Grasslands larger than 20 acres should be pursued to beneft these species. Successional communities are currently among the most heavily infested with exotic inva- sive species. With increases in overall temperature, more invasions are likely, especially from tropical and sub-tropical regions. Integrated pest management practices should be preferred over more indiscriminate application of pesticides. Te efects of exotic plants, insects, and animals on early succession habitat and native wildlife populations are poorly understood. Impacts are likely to vary widely depending on the species involved, environ- mental conditions, and management activities. Fire Ants are a species of particular con- cern, especially regarding their potential impact on herpetofauna, small mammals, and ground-nesting birds. While invasive species should be treated aggressively with eradica- tion as the goal wherever an exotic is just beginning to be established, control measures should always be carefully targeted, including the use of species-specifc biological control agents. 4.4.17.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help defne short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. Te efect of a changed climate is likely to vary widely among examples and many may change very little, while others will change substantially because of human reaction to the impacts of climate change such as tempera- ture changes or drought.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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