Chapter 4 Habitats
4.3.13 Wet Pine Savannas 4.3.13.1 Ecosystem Description
The communities in wet pine savannas are Coastal Plain mineral soil wetlands that, under natural conditions, were frequently burned. With frequent fire, they have an open canopy dominated by Longleaf or Pond Pine over a grassy herb layer. Shrubs are short and sparse with frequent fire but become dense if fire is suppressed for more than a couple of years. The community types in this ecosystem group include the following (Schafale 2024) .
• Northern wet pine savanna • Sandhill seep (typic and savanna subtypes) • Very wet loamy pine savanna • Wet loamy pine savanna • Wet Piedmont longleaf pine forest
• Wet pine flatwoods (typic, sand myrtle, and depression subtypes) • Wet sandy pine savanna (typic and rush featherline subtypes)
Pine savanna communities occur in flat areas that are saturated or even slightly flooded during the wetter parts of the year. The herb layer is dominated by grasses and sedges and a variety of low shrubs may be present but are low and open if the savanna is frequently burned. The herb layer usually contains many showy composites, orchids, and insectivorous plants. One of the most notable features of pine savanna communities is their tremendous plant diversity at small scales. Sandhill seeps occur on sloping seepage areas, where the wettest parts are essentially permanently saturated. They share many species with the pine savanna type but are more heterogeneous and more bog-like in character. In frequently burned seeps, grassy and sedgy areas can have a high diversity of plants, rivaling the pine savannas in species richness at small scales. Wet pine flatwoods communities usually occur in flat areas, though sloping areas are possible. They resemble pine savannas in general structure, with an open pine canopy over a grassy ground cover with low shrubs. Wiregrass is always the dominant herb. Shrubs become dense if fire is excluded. Unlike pine savannas, the herb diversity is low; in many cases, only one to five species may be present in a square meter. 4.3.13.2 Location of Habitat The Green Swamp, Holly Shelter, and Sandhills game lands and the Croatan National Forest contain good examples of this habitat.
4 - 213
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator