Chapter 4 Habitats
4.3.6.3 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. Flooding. Natural floodplains are biologically productive and diverse ecosystems that are among the most threatened due to habitat alteration, flow and flood control, invasive species, and pollution (Tockner and Stanford 2002) . The condition of floodplain forests of all types has been greatly reduced in recent years throughout North Carolina and the entire Southeast (Weller and Stegman 1977; Schafale and Weakley 1990) by a variety of anthropogenic factors. Factors that impact these systems in North Carolina include flooding regime patterns that have been changed by dams and other development, habitat fragmentation, changes in water chemistry and organic matter loads, increased nitrogen from agricultural and development-related runoff, exotic species, and high grading of stands and logging that reduces wide buffers. All these factors individually or interactively produce abrupt or gradual changes in floodplain plant and wildlife communities. Long-duration flooding has had impacts on all ground-nesting bird species. Loss of old growth characteristics (canopy gaps, vine tangles, hollow trees, dead and downed woody material) and fragmentation of stands is a major concern. A lack of standing dead or older trees has impacted the availability of quality bat and Chimney Swift roosting and breeding sites and nesting productivity for species, such as the Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser. Lack of downed woody debris has impacted a variety of amphibians and reptiles. Land Use. Logging and clearing land for agriculture, development, recreational use, and reservoir construction all cause direct loss and alteration of floodplain forests. In the past half century, an estimated 52% of bottomland forests in the South have been cleared for agriculture or development (Smith et al. 2002) . Land clearing activities conducted adjacent to, and up and downstream of floodplain forests can cause indirect impacts to the floodplains, particularly related to hydrology. Areas adjacent to floodplains are often prime targets for general development and subdivisions, and buffer size is often inadequate to provide any protection from a variety of anthropomorphic disturbances over time. For instance, flooding events may occur with greater frequency in some areas due to increased upstream impervious surfaces and clearing of vegetation near buffers. Snags play a very important role in providing nesting, foraging, and roosting areas for many cavity-nesting birds, bats, arboreal mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Lack of snags and den trees is often a limiting factor for several species of wildlife, especially secondary cavity users (McComb et al. 1986) . Younger riparian forests can also lack dead wood on the ground, which is important for some songbirds (like the Kentucky Warbler), many reptiles, amphibians, and some small mammals.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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