Chapter 4 Habitats
4.4.5 Cove Forests 4.4.5.1 Ecosystem Description
Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina, Fourth Approximation (Schafale 2024) defines this natural community as Mountain Cove Forests Theme. Cove forests are some of the most well-known and recognized community types in the Mountains, occurring on sheltered, moist, low-to-moderate elevation sites. They are characterized by a dense forest canopy of moisture-loving trees. There are several subtypes in this ecosystem. • Acidic Cove Forest (Typic, High Elevation, Silverbell subtypes) • Canada Hemlock Forest (Typic and White Pine subtypes). • Rich Cove Forest (Montane Intermediate, Montane Rich, Foothills Intermediate, Foothills Rich, Red Oak, Boulderfield subtypes) The rich cove forest type, occurring in the most fertile sites, has a lush herb layer and relatively few shrubs. The high diversity in all vegetation layers makes this forest of great interest to botanists and ecologists. The Acidic Cove Forest type, which occurs in less fertile but otherwise similar sites to those occupied by rich cove forests, is dominated by the more acid tolerant species, and has undergrowth dominated by ericaceous shrubs such as rhododendron, rather than by herbs. Canada Hemlock forests have similarly dense shrub layers and relatively few herbs. The Canada Hemlock forest is a mountain and foothill forest naturally dominated by Canada Hemlock with acid-tolerant undergrowth and low species richness. It occurs in sheltered, mesic, low- to mid-elevation sites, primarily in narrow rocky gorges, steep ravines, and low gentle ridges within coves. Local slopes may be concave or convex landscapes. 4.4.5.2 Location of Habitat Cove hardwood habitat is well represented in the Mountain ecoregion of western North Carolina, including in the Pisgah and Nantahala National forests. According to the most recent Southeast Gap Analysis Project (GAP), Cove Forests comprise a little over 558 thousand acres (nearly 226 thousand hectares) of land cover in North Carolina (SEGAP 2023; NatureServe 2025) . This represents slightly more than 1.6 % of all land cover in the state. Cove Forests occur in sheltered mesic sites such as valley bottoms, ravines, lower slopes, and concave slopes found from 2,000 to 5,000 feet elevation. Sites are well drained but mesic due to topographic sheltering and low slope position (Schafale 2024) .
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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