Where there is open water, submerged and emergent 

 aquatics may be present. A continuous carpet of 

 sphagnum mosses (Sphagnum spp.) is often seen 

 wherever there is adequate light. 



The most widely distributed cedar-as- 

 sociated herbs are: sedges (Carex spp.), round- 

 leaved sundew {Drosera rotundifolia), 

 partridge-berry {Mitchella repens), cinnamon fern, 

 and royal fern (0. regalis). The complexity of dis- 

 tribution patterns and the large numbers of species 

 preclude a simple distribution summary of the shrub 

 and herbaceous layers. The complete geographic 

 distribution of each species is presented in Appendix 

 A. The most frequently encountered associated 

 species are illustrated in Figure 24a, b, & c. 



5.2.3 Species of Special Concern 



Table 6 is an interim list of 89 cedar-as- 

 sociated species and subtaxa (5 trees, 26 shrubs, 

 and 58 herbs) considered as regionally rare, 

 threatened, or endangered. A few plants have 

 recently been removed from some lists of special 

 concern as populations increase or are discovered. 

 Others have been locally extirpated. Individual 

 naturalists, staffs of the Great Dismal Wildlife Refuge 

 and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the Na- 

 ture Conservancy, and state Natural Heritage 

 Programs monitor and update these rosters. Further 

 information is presented in Chapter 2 and Appendix 

 A. 



5.3 FAUNA 



Information on animals and associated 

 values is far more limited and spotty than on plants, 

 reflecting the paucity of research in this area. 



5.3.1 Wildlife Values 



Hahilat. A cedar forest managed for maxi- 

 mum wildlife habitat will contain a diverse mixture of 

 old growth, mature, intermediate "pole", and 

 regeneration areas (USFWS 1986b). Maximum 

 variation in vertical stratification is of particular signifi- 

 cance to avifauna (Anderson 1979). The cedar wet- 

 lands can be considered as ecological islands. 

 Large, connected natural areas are of greatest value 

 in promoting wildlife species diversity because there 

 are more species per unit area than in separated is- 

 lands, and there are fewer species lost due to genetic 

 drift (e.g., MacArthur and Wilson 1967; Pianl<a 1974). 

 Large blocks of unbroken territory are important for 

 non-game bird species that nest on or near the 

 ground or in open areas, or for species that are 

 obligate forest-interior inhabitants, migrate long dis- 

 tances, or are shy of humans (Bobbins 1979). 



Excellent cover for deer, rabbits, and birds is 

 provided by C. thyoides thickets (Korstian and Brush 

 1931). In the Northeast, a preferred winter browse 

 for white-tailed deer {Odocoileus virginianus) is 

 white cedar foliage and twigs (Little etal. 1958). Cot- 

 tontail rabbit {Sylvilagus floridanus) and meadow 

 mouse (Microtus pennsylvanicus) feed on cedar 

 seedlings (Little 1950). In the Great Dismal, black 

 bear feed on blueberry {Vaccinium corymbosum) 

 and blackberry (Rubus sp.) growing in recently-cut 

 cedar stands (Meanley 1973). Ward and Clewell (un- 

 publ.) reported bear marker trees with huge jagged 

 strips of hanging bark in Florida cedar wetlands. 

 Wildlife, including bear, beaver, otter, and deer, is 

 abundant in high-altitude New Jersey cedar wilder- 

 ness areas (W. Foley, pers. comm.). 



5.3.2 Birds 



The only published quantitative reports on 

 animal reproduction in cedar wetlands concern 

 avifauna (Flaccus [1951] and Miller et al. [1987] for 

 New Hampshire; NJPC [1980] for southern New Jer- 

 sey; and Terwilliger [1987] for the Great Dismal 

 Swamp). 



Miller et al. (1987) counted 13 species of 

 breeding birds at an average density of 1 45 breeding 

 pairs per 40.5 ha in one New Hampshire swamp 

 (Table 7). The same area had supported 23 breeding 

 pairs in 1951 at a density of 159 pairs per 40.5 ha 

 (Flaccus 1951). 



Cedar stands in the Great Dismal National 

 Wildlife Refuge supported the greatest bird density in 

 coniferous forests censused in the eastern United 

 States in 1981 (Tenwilliger 1987). These stands held 

 nearly twice as many birds per unit area as a sur- 

 rounding maple-gum forest (Table 8). Seven species 

 breed in cedar stands and not in maple-gum. Up to 

 23 breeding species and 95 individuals were counted 

 in single 7-ha stands in one year's tally (Table 8). 



Parulid warblers are the dominant avifauna 

 in Great Dismal cedar stands; prairie, prothonotory, 

 hooded and worm-eating warblers, ovenbirds, and 

 yellowthroats comprised about three-fourths of the 

 breeding birds found. Prairie and worm-eating 

 warblers appear to be particularly dependent on the 

 Great Dismal cedars. An "over-mature" stand, one 

 with most trees over 100 years old, was particularly 

 well populated. There are distinct species asso- 

 ciations along vertical and temporal gradients, i.e., 

 different-aged trees and stands support different bird 

 species at various heights in and under the canopy 

 in different seasons (Terwilliger 1987). 



37 



