Appendix 5
Reference Document 5-3
canopies would allow for intrusion from invasive and downhill species and thus be difficult to recruit red spruce and for Fraser fir to survive (Thomas-Van Gundy and Sturtevant 2014) . The federally- listed Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus ) is associated with red spruce forests, distributed in the highest mountains of western North Carolina, and would require presence of their host tree in order to undergo a range shift (Boynton et al. 2017) . Model simulations for Virginia showed that active management with protections for existing red spruce stands resulted in a greater area dominated by red spruce than did larger, areawide protections (Thomas-Van Gundy and Sturtevant 2014) . However, protecting larger areas of potential habitat resulted in an increase in red spruce in areas of low to moderate probability of occurrence for the flying squirrel, potentially increasing the areas’ suitability for the species (Thomas-Van Gundy and Sturtevant 2014) .
Extreme events, flooding and altered flows
Western North Carolina’s montane habitats are some of the wettest locations in the Southeast, receiving more than 90 inches of rainfall annually at some localities (Frankson et al. 2022; NCWRC 2025) . Future projections suggest the Southeast will continue to become wetter overall, with increases to both seasonal and annual rainfall averages (Hoffman et al. 2023) . Additionally, extreme precipitation (i.e., precipitation in the top 1-5% of rainfall events) is expected to increase throughout the region with the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Ecoregions of North Carolina are projected to experience the greatest increase in days with extreme precipitation. The high vulnerability of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Ecoregions to extreme precipitation events include tropical cyclones that move inland (Martinez et al. 2024) . Mountainous terrain constrains where water can flow and rainfall will accumulate quickly in lower-elevation areas, worsening effects. Hurricanes can produce widespread and damaging impacts in the mountains, such as landslide, like the recent landslide outbreak from hurricane Helene that dumped more than 18 inches across western North Carolina (Martinez et al. 2024) . Landslides, flooding and large amounts of surface water runoff from extreme precipitation events and tropical storms have many negative impacts on wildlife including increased sediment and contaminated floodwater draining into waterways, flooding of animal nests, and erosion and more (Dolloff et al. 1994; Mirus et al. 2020) . The risk of extreme fluctuations in rainfall regimes are expected to increase in the Appalachians and these changes will likely influence chemical conditions within numerous freshwater streams that are critical refuges for sensitive or critically endangered biota (Kunkel et al., 2020) . More extreme rainfall events can also result in changes to riverine flows and cause alterations in stream temperature, dilution rates, and salinity, all of which are crucial parameters for the survival of aquatic life (Noyes et al., 2009; Staudt et al. 2013) . There is high spatial overlap between landslide susceptibility and biodiversity in the Appalachians provides an opportunity to achieve co-benefits in both species’ conservation and development if these vulnerable sites are protected and restored (Li et al. 2022) .
Currently, many species’ declines in the Southeast are associated with widespread alteration of flow regimes and are expected to be exacerbated by climate change (Kominoski et al. 2018) .
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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