Chapter 4 Habitats
landscape from large fires fed by climate change factors and fire suppression will burn hotter, longer, and cover more area than occurred in the natural fire cycle. The new burning cycle will compromise the quality of the habitat needed by wildlife. Table 4.3.10-1 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats.
Table 4.3.10-1 Climate change compared to other threats to pocosins. Threat Rank Order Comments Logging/ Exploitation 1
Unprotected White Cedar and Pond Pine stands continue to be logged and often do not regenerate. 2 Ditching for drainage and for road construction alters communities, increases wildfire damage, and likely exacerbates effects of droughts. Ditches will bring tidal water into peatlands and will hasten their destruction. Impounding effects of roads also alter hydrology in some peatlands and may have increasing impact if rainfall events become more extreme.
Flood Regime Alteration
Loss of natural fire has altered communities and ecosystem processes. Deep peat fires in artificially drained areas cause lasting damage to communities. Increased wildfire or increased temperature may actually be ecologically beneficial in some areas but could be detrimental in others that have been ditched and could cause
Fire
3
excessive peat consumption. Extreme wildfires in deep peat can result in depressions several feet deep. These areas could fill with water in wet years and create freshwater marsh type conditions. 3 Pocosins on private land have largely been ditched and converted to Loblolly Pine plantations by the forest products industry. While deeper peats resist conversion, pine plantations continue to replace Pond Pine woodland and peatland Atlantic White Cedar forest. 4 Areas that occur in the lowest elevations may be lost to sea level rise due to saltwater intrusion and inundation. Loss of significant minority acreage is a likely threat. Other threats are very uncertain.
Conversion to agriculture/ silviculture
Climate Change
4.3.10.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix 3 provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps and management concerns. Appendix 3-17 identifies SGCN that depend on or are associated with this habitat type. In general, little detailed information exists for many wildlife species that use pocosin habitats because of the impenetrable nature of these communities. Few surveys have been done on a long-term basis, which makes land management decisions difficult. We also lack detailed information about populations of small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians in pocosin
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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