Addendum 2
Chapter 4 Habitats
or other mafic rock but potentially with clay-rich metasedimentary rocks. Communities with comparable mixtures of wet and dry soil conditions and of wetland and xerophytic plants are found in other parts of the Southeast and are sometimes known by the term “xerohydric.” • Swamp Island Evergreen Forests are rare communities of the Coastal Plain upland ridges on floodplain terraces, where they are generally surrounded by wetlands. They are evergreen hardwood or mixed communities containing species that otherwise, in North Carolina, occur only in the maritime forests of the coast. They are dominated by sand laurel oak, loblolly pine, and often live oak, dwarf live oak, or water oak. Another species typical of maritime conditions is wild olive. Natural isolation from fire is thought to be an important determinant of these communities. All known examples are associated with medium to large blackwater rivers. This community is known only in the southern part of the Coastal Plain, associated with the Lumber, Waccamaw, and Northeast Cape Fear rivers and their large tributaries such as Juniper Creek and Big Swamp. Three landscape habitat indicator (LHI) guilds have a significant concentration in these ecosystems. These are the Piedmont dry — wet hardwood and mixed forest, Piedmont dry — wet basic hardwood forest, and dry-xeric mixed forests, woodlands, and barrens. Habitat for the dry — xeric mixed forests, woodlands, and barrens LHI guild may increase with higher frequency of drought and fires. Habitat trends for the Piedmont dry — wet hardwood and mixed forests and Piedmont dry — wet basic hardwoods forests LHI guilds are more difficult to predict but given the wide range of moisture conditions they occupy, they are likely to remain fairly common.
4.4.19.2 Location of Habitat
Most Oak — Hickory Forests in the Piedmont are found on upland slopes and ridgetops, while Coastal Plain examples are found on dissected slopes of stream and river bluffs. Xeric Hardpan Forests occur on flat to gently sloping uplands while Piedmont Monadnock Forests occur on isolated higher hills. Basic Oak — Hickory Forests, Xeric Hardpan Forests, Mixed Moisture Hardpan, Swamp Island Evergreen, and Piedmont Monadnock Forests were always minority community types because of their need for specialized sites. The rocky monadnocks escaped impacts from farming, though development, clearcutting, and other alterations have eliminated the natural character of many communities.
2022 Addendum 2
4A2- 4
NC Wildlife Action Plan
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