Chapter 4 Habitats
4.4.5.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Invasives. The most pressing problem affecting the cove hardwood habitat is the advent of several exotic pest species that could have a significant impact upon the health of the forest, including the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Gypsy Moth, and Beech scale, as well as several nonnative plants. Evans and Gregoire (2007) showed that adelgid infestation can move across the landscape at about nine miles (15 km) per year or faster and can kill trees in two to three years (Trotter III and Shields 2009) . In fact, the adelgid has already devastated most of the Canada Hemlock stands in the state, such that former mixed hemlock-hardwood stands are now mostly hardwoods, with much lessened evergreen cover available for wildlife during the cooler months. Development. Though estimates of the amount of cove hardwood lost to development are unavailable, the most significant problem affecting this community type is its conversion to other uses. Residential development in mountain coves often differs from development in other habitats of the region because the homes and associated open spaces are often interspersed within the forest. The result may be that direct habitat loss as a result of the houses and associated structures may be more limited than other types of development. Land Use. Timber harvesting and conversion to other forest types (White Pine) or other uses on private lands in certain areas can also decrease the availability of this habitat in the future. The reduction in quality of the habitat through fragmentation by roads and driveways and human intrusion can have significant impact upon the wildlife species of the forest (Rosenberg et al. 2003) . 4.4.5.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help define short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. 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, and amount of overland runoff. Unprotected examples of these forests are most threatened by development and logging. Table 4.4.5-1 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats.
Table 4.4.5-1 Climate change compared to other threats to cove forests.
Rank Order
Threat
Comments
1 Exotic species represent a growing threat, including the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, Gypsy Moth, and Beech scale, as well as several nonnative plants. The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid has already caused widespread devastation in Hemlock forests. Emerald Ash Borer and several other destructive insects represent large potential threats. Invasive plants are a serious and growing problem in lower elevation examples, particularly in those that are disturbed by logging or that occur near developed
Invasive Species
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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