Chapter 4 Habitats
High-elevation seeps occur in the higher Mountains, where they are surrounded by Spruce - Fir forests, northern hardwood forests, or grass and heath bald communities. High-elevation seeps are quite variable in vegetation and setting. Some are open and somewhat boggy, with peat moss, sundews, and even cranberries present. Others are shaded by canopy and more closely resemble a rich northern hardwood forest. 4.3.12.2 Location of Habitat This group of communities covers a wide geographic range in the Mountains and Piedmont ecoregions. High-elevation mountain seepage communities are usually surrounded by Spruce - - Fir forests, northern hardwood forests, or grass and heath bald communities. Low elevation seeps tend to occur at the bases of slopes in the Piedmont and lower Mountains, just above a floodplain. Spray cliffs are more likely to occur in gorges and riverine areas. Examples of spray cliffs can be found in the Nantahala National Forest, Bonas Defeat Gorge on the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, Reid Branch waterfalls in Transylvania County, Phillips Branch waterfalls in Caldwell County, and the Dismal Creek waterfalls in Transylvania County (Stevenson 2015) . 4.3.12.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Threats to individual seepages and spray cliffs are extremely variable and include invasive plants; death of Canada Hemlock trees due to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid; development on or adjacent to the community; recreational trampling; stream flooding and scouring or downcutting; depletion of ground water pools that supply seepage; ditching or drainage; increased temperatures in sheltered refugia; and vegetational succession in the absence of fire or other natural disturbance. This ecosystem is highly threatened overall, with or without climate change. The communities located at high elevations are the most likely to be affected by increased temperatures. Some distinctive high-elevation species may be lost, while some lower elevation species may be able to migrate into them. Warmer temperatures may allow exotic species to invade. Some seeps have increased in tree cover due to fire suppression or other alterations, and loss of tree cover may be positive in some examples. 4.3.12.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help define short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. While climate change is not the most severe threat, a combination of synergistic effects with other existing conditions could stress these systems to the point where several species are unable to persist. The effect of a changed climate is likely to vary widely among examples of these communities, depending on topographic sheltering, configuration of rocks, soil depth, size of groundwater pools, and amount of overland runoff. These systems are tied to specialized small environments and will be unable to migrate as the climate changes. Many may change very little, while a few
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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