Chapter 4 Habitats
4.4.11.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix 3 provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps and management concerns. Appendices 3-17 (wildlife) and 3-22 (plants) identify SGCN that depend on or are associated with this habitat type. While Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are almost exclusively associated with Longleaf Pine systems, most animals that are associated with pines and other dry conifers also occur in mixed stands of hardwoods and conifers. Brown-headed Nuthatches and Chuck-wills-widows are also associated with dry woodlands and/or heathlands more generally. Additional problems faced by individual species associated with dry coniferous forest include the lack of early successional habitat of this type or conversion of this habitat to other pine habitat (i.e., White Pine) for species such as Prairie Warblers, woodpeckers, and nuthatches. Timber Rattlesnake persecution in these habitats also remains a significant problem. Lack of management of the stands decreases the quality of habitat for woodland hawks by decreasing prey abundance and limiting their ability to hunt in dense understory growth. The two species of moths that feed on Bear Oak have a highly confined distribution in North Carolina (as does their host plant). While climate change may create conditions such as increased fire that may favor the oak, the moths are likely to be highly vulnerable to extirpation if fires completely consume all available habitat in the few areas where the moth currently exists. 4.4.11.6 Recommendations Conservation of good examples of all community types remains important. Because of the widespread loss of Pine-oak/Heath and the likely loss of Carolina Hemlock bluff, restoration of degraded examples is also important. As in all communities, conservation of surrounding communities and protection or restoration of landscape connections will improve the viability of communities and allow native species to migrate to adjust to the changing climate. 4.4.11.6.1 Surveys Surveys are systematic and scientific methods of collecting information about the distribution, abundance, and ecology of wildlife or their habitats in a specific area at a specific time. A habitat survey is a method of gathering information about the ecology of a site. The results of a habitat survey provide basic ecological information that can be used for biodiversity conservation, planning and/or management, including targeting of more detailed botanical or zoological investigations (Smith et al. 2011) . Repeated surveys using the same methods can provide information about conditions and changes to species assemblages and habitat composition over time. Priorities for conducting distributional and status surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining or mainly dependent on at-risk or sensitive communities.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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