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The Ecology and Management of
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Forested wetland habitats across the range of Atlantic white cedar (AWC) (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) have been influenced by centuries of human perturbations such as logging, ditching and draining. In North Carolina and Virginia, the construction of canals and ditches has dramatically altered the natural hydrology, and drained these wetland habitats. More recently, these drained wetlands have been extremely vulnerable to prolonged ground fires. During these fires, several feet of peat soil has been lost, which has resulted in dramatic changes in habitat conditions. These changes across the landscape require managers and practitioners to think more broadly and long-term than ever before to ensure ecosystem resiliency and reduce the likelihood of further catastrophic change. These landscape changes affect management of AWC habitat at National Wildlife Refuges in North Carolina and Virginia. To increase the resiliency of peatland/pocosin habitats, including those that support AWC, the recent focus seeks to reestablish more natural hydrological conditions. Improving the ability to control water levels and re-wet peat soils can increase suitability for peat accumulation and reduce the impacts of wildfires. The higher water levels will also help retain diverse native habitats and vegetative communities such as AWC. These strategies may simultaneously enhance biodiversity values and increase carbon sequestration potential.
Ecological resiliency, carbon sequestration, wildfire, Pocosin