Chapter 4 Habitats
4.3.2.2 Location of Habitat Mountain bogs (including fens and ‘wet meadow’ bogs) are distributed throughout the Mountains and upper Piedmont of North Carolina, with examples as far east as Forsyth and Gaston counties. Most of the known occurrences of Southern Appalachian bogs and fens are situated above the Blue Ridge escarpment, in the northwestern (Ashe and Alleghany) and southern (Henderson, Transylvania) counties. On the other hand, ‘wet meadow’ bogs can be found in the western half of the Piedmont and throughout the Mountain counties. Over 60% of the wetlands identified in the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAMAB 1996a,b) occurred on privately owned lands, and it is likely that overall, the percent of mountain bog habitat in private ownership is even greater. 4.3.2.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Chapter 5 Threats provides more information about 11 categories of threats most likely to impact North Carolina’s wildlife and natural communities. The list of threats is based on definitions and classifications published by Salafsky et al. (2008, 2024) . The following information focuses on current and anticipated threats for this habitat. Invasive Species. Invasive species are already a problem in some areas and may increase with drought and warmer temperatures. Some bogs are subject to invasion by exotic plants such as Japanese Stiltgrass, Multiflora Rose, and Asian Dayflower. Many of these communities contain pines, hemlocks, or spruces, which are susceptible to insect pests. Climate Impacts. Besides stream flooding, overland runoff from adjacent uplands during severe storms would be a problem in many bogs. The nutrient input and potential scouring of severe floods would be detrimental to bog communities. Droughts would have significant effects on competitive relationships among species and on the community as a whole. Many bogs may reduce in size if margins dry out due to drought. Some estimates indicate that fewer than 500 acres of mountain bogs in North Carolina remain (USFWS 2002) . Drought and warm temperatures may allow generalists and upland species to invade. Many of the rare species associated with mountain bogs and fens are herbs and are vulnerable to competition from woody species and more aggressive habitat generalists. If changes in hydrology make these sites drier, this problem is likely to be exacerbated. Fragmentation . The most common types of fragmentation occur when streams are impounded to form lakes, highways are built across inhabited wetlands, and wetland habitat units are drained for agricultural use or development. Roads that bisect Bog Turtle wetlands are the single most detrimental threat to turtle populations. Highway mortality is high in areas where turtles must cross roads to get from one wetland to another (Somers et al. 2000) . Successional Conversion . Bog communities can undergo ecological succession, from open canopy fens and bogs to closed canopy swamps (where hydrologic conditions do not change),
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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