Chapter 4 Habitats
Table 4.4.5-1 Climate change compared to other threats to cove forests.
Rank Order
Threat
Comments areas. Invasive plants, such as Garlic Mustard and Oriental Bittersweet, are likely to increase regardless of climate change. Oriental Bittersweet is already a significant problem in some cove forests in the Mountains and has greatly altered vegetation composition and structure.
2 Logging causes more drastic alterations to structure and composition than expected from climate change. 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. 2 Development can cause indirect effects as well as outright destruction of these communities, creating an edge effect and developing seed sources for invasive species. Residential development in mountain coves often differs from development in other habitats of the region, in that homes and associated spaces are often interspersed within the forest. The result may be that direct habitat loss because of the houses and associated structures may be more limited than other types of development. However, the reduction in quality of the habitat by virtue of being bisected by roads and driveways, other infrastructure, and domesticated plants and animals can certainly have significant impact upon the wildlife species of the forest (Rosenberg et al. 2003) 3 Climate change poses several threats, including loss of area in more marginal sites, alteration by increased wind, flood, and fire disturbance, and increased problems with invasive plants. For some protected examples, this is the most severe threat.
Logging/ Exploitation
Development
Climate Change
4.4.5.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix 3 provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps and management concerns. Appendix 3-17 (wildlife) and Appendix 3-22 (plants) identify SGCN that depends on or are associated with this habitat type. Appalachian Cove hardwood forests represent some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world outside of tropical zones ( Hunter et al. 1999 ). An amazing assortment of trees and herbaceous vegetation, coupled with topographic, microclimatic, and soil characteristics, combine to provide an extremely productive habitat for numerous mammals, amphibians, and birds. High numbers of endemic salamanders are present ( Petranka 1998 ), and population densities of these animal groups in cove hardwood forests make these extremely important habitats.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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