Chapter 4 Habitats
grading logging practices have changed plant species’ diversity and stand vegetative structure. Logging has reduced colonial waterbird and Bald Eagle nesting areas.
Alteration of hydrology due to dam creation and the draining of wetlands are two of the primary problems affecting species in this habitat type. The impacts of development adjacent to rivers and streams include potential problems associated with direct input of contaminants and sediment, alteration of hydrologic patterns and processes, temperature regimes, and loss of critical habitat adjacent to aquatic habitat that may be of equal importance to species that only spend a portion of their lives in the water, like some amphibians. Drainage of wetlands has exacerbated the problems in and adjacent to floodplain forest habitats. This habitat loss impacts all floodplain species, including furbearers, breeding amphibians, overwintering birds, and migrant species that use these areas as stopover sites. Water quality is also an issue in certain major river drainages that negatively affects many invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. This ecosystem contains some extremely rare disjunct and near endemic plant species. Their rarity makes them vulnerable to changes in habitat. Random events in specific locations can have major impacts on the expected viability of whole species. Two cane-feeding moths are endemic (or nearly so) to the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Habitat for these species is divided between blackwater and brownwater floodplains, as well as peatlands. All these species, plus the larger guild of cane-feeding insects, are likely to benefit from increased canopy gaps and other disturbances associated with climate change. Diversity of “native” species may potentially increase due to movement of more southerly species northward into this habitat type (e.g., Wood Storks, Swallowtail Kites, water elms, water locusts). In fact, the Wood Stork has expanded its breeding range in the state and is now nesting at several blackwater stream/river sites. More substantial changes may occur in floodplains north of North Carolina, beyond the current range of widespread southern floodplain species. 4.3.4.6 Recommendations Surveys are needed to document the distribution, relative abundance, and status of many wildlife species associated with these habitats. Priorities for conducting surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining, at risk, or mainly dependent on these communities (like rails). Secondary priority for surveys should be for species for which current distribution information is already available or for species that are considered common. Many bird species associated with these community types are not sampled well or at all by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). 4.3.4.6.1 Surveys Surveys are systematic and scientific methods of collecting information about the distribution, abundance, and ecology of wildlife or their habitats in a specific area at a specific time. A
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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