Chapter 4 Habitats
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Expand management of existing northern hardwood forests and adjacent habitats (particularly Spruce-Fir forests) to ensure the complete mix of age class, composition, and conditions necessary to sustain populations of a wide range of species that use this community.
• Consider management needs in areas impacted by Beech scale.
• Protect from wildfire, as drought conditions persist, the potential for severe fires that would cause catastrophic loss is increased.
4.4.4.6.5 Conservation Programs and Partnerships Conservation programs, incentives, and partnerships should be used to the fullest extent to preserve high-quality resources and protect important natural communities. Protective measures that use existing regulatory frameworks to protect habitats and species should be incorporated where applicable. Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Make particular effort to protect examples at the higher elevations, where the community is likely to persist and where the seed source for migration to higher elevations will primarily come from.
• Protect the current habitat and connectivity of isolated patches through conservation ownership acquisition or easement.
• Increase connectivity among habitat patches, both through acquisition or management of adjacent stands. Preservation of large tracts of minimally disturbed older forests may be key to maintaining forest litter amphibian populations.
References are located at the end of this document.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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