N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission News Releases

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 6, 2007) – Just because your bird feeder stays busy year round, don’t think North Carolina is without feathered problems.

According to a recent report released by the American Bird Conservancy, the Tar Heel state has two of the nation’s 20-most threatened bird habitats.

The state contains early successional habitats in eastern deciduous forests that rank No. 19 on the most-threatened list, while also being home to the mixed longleaf pine/bottomland hardwood forest habitats that come in at No. 10.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is currently in support of one forest management plan that would strengthen bird habitat on 231 acres near Blowing Rock.

Known as the Globe Project, the U.S. Forest Service’s plan would take place on land located within the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest in Avery, Caldwell and Watauga counties. It would involve creating clearings and planting native grasses and clovers while eradicating non-native plants. A selected timber harvest would also take place which would create the much needed early successional habitats or young forest growth. The Wildlife Commission biologists supported the plan which would offer needed support to several declining songbird species, as well as to deer, bear and wild turkey.

Longleaf Pines Merit No. 10 Ranking

Before European colonization, longleaf pine forests covered vast expanses of land from Virginia to Texas. The tree’s sturdy wood and tall, straight growth patterns made it ideal for building use. This characteristic led to a rapid harvesting of the species. Longleafs were also reduced due to man’s desire to eliminate the regular forest fires that were an integral part of this ecosystem. (Note-Longleafs were also reduced in acreage because loblolly pines grew faster and could be harvested sooner for lumber.)

The loss of longleafs eliminated core habitat for various bird species, most notably the red-cockaded woodpecker, which carves its living dens almost exclusively from the threatened pine species. Other birds impacted by the loss of longleafs include Bachman’s Sparrow, the Brown-headed Nuthatch and the Prairie Warbler. It is critical that fires be set in the longleaf systems to keep grasses in a suitable condition for species like the Bachman’s Sparrow.

“The Wildlife Resources Commission realizes that the longleaf habitat is very important,” said Tommy Hughes, supervising wildlife biologist in the coastal area. “We’re working to manage that habitat on our game lands through prescribed fires during the dormant season as well as the growing season. We’re also working on new lands that have been acquired -- to restore them to the historical longleaf pine ecosystem.

One such area being actively restored is Stones Creek Game Land, located just south of Jacksonville in Onslow County.

“There’s a 200-acre longleaf restoration site that we’re working on right now with plans to do much more of that in the future,” said Hughes. “Our goal there is to restore that ecosystem so that it benefits species like the red-cockaded woodpecker and the Bobwhite quail.”

Early Successional Habitats Rank 19th

Indigenous peoples have impacted the environment for over 14,000 years, primarily by extensive burning of the land. With the arrival of Europeans, Native American populations declined dramatically due to diseases, while mature forests thrived. When early settlers began clearing land and burning for farms and fields, birds classified as early succesionals, such as the Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown Thrasher, Golden-winged Warbler and Northern Bobwhite, flourished.

America’s farms are no longer prevalent, however. We continue to suppress fires and now the cutting of trees on National Forests has been substantially reduced. As a result, forests mature, and many species that require young forests are struggling to adapt. In particular, the Golden-winged Warbler and Northern Bobwhite have suffered acute population drops in recent decades. These species need native, open spaces to flourish.

“We simply need to open up many stands of trees on our National Forests in western North Carolina,” stated Gordon Warburton, supervising wildlife biologist for the Wildlife Commission. “People need to understand that cutting a tree is not always bad for wildlife, and that many species depend on the plants that come up when sunlight is allowed to hit the ground.”

“Burning and thinning of trees to improve structure can benefit many songbirds that are now in decline,” noted Partners in Flight Biologist Mark Johns. Species that could benefit from such management activities included the Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Canada Warbler, Veery, Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler and Swainson's Warbler.

In ranking the nation’s most threatened areas, the ABC report “considered the severity of historic habitat loss, current threats to remaining habitat, past and ongoing restoration efforts, and the existence of protected areas such as parks, grasslands, wildlife refuges, and reserves,” according to the published study .

Hawaiian forests, with 30 resident birds currently listed under the Endangered Species Act as Endangered or Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were identified as the nation’s most threatened bird habitat.