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Cause for Concern in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Alaska
Nearctic
•
Temperate Coniferous Forests
Northern California coastal forests
The immense size of the mighty redwood trees, and the beauty of their wood, has made them a target for loggers for more than a century. Ancient redwoods are still being cut on private land. Another major type of old-growth forest in this ecoregion, the Douglas fir-tanoak forest, has also been the target of extensive logging. Even logging in surrounding watersheds can have severe repercussions for redwood groves, since it can cause severe flooding, fires, and sedimentation. The spread of urban areas between Monterey and San Francisco, along with the introduction of exotic plants into these ancient forests, exacerbate the problems. Given these threats, many scientists feel that the only hope for long-term survival of functioning redwood ecosystems lies in Redwood National Park. Sadly, this represents a very, very small percentage of the original forest that once covered this region.
Over the next 150 years, it is estimated, logging and extensive road building will destroy up to 70 percent of the total old-growth forests in this ecoregion. Some of the species most affected by such widespread logging will be northern goshawks, Alexander Archipelago wolves, martens, northern flying squirrels, and brown bears. What's more, the tourism business is booming in Glacier Bay National Park, and this could cause trouble for the very forests and wildlife that people travel there to see. Roads and highways are being expanded to accommodate the explosive growth in tourism. And more cruise ships can lead to pollution as well as the disturbance of whales and other marine mammals. Other threats include pollution from pulp mills and mines.
Almost one-fourth of this ecoregion has been altered by logging, particularly in the valleys. What's most alarming is that all of the remaining forests, including the temperate old-growth forests, are slated to be cut in the next 60 years. Mineral exploration is another growing threat in the alpine and subalpine habitats. In both cases, new roads must be built to allow access to the forests, which will open up and fragment remote areas where caribou and other animals seek shelter. Bears and wolverines are often very shy and leave areas where people are. More people means less habitat for these sensitive, wide-ranging species.
About 80 percent of this ecoregion has been heavily altered by human activities. The growth of nearby cities and the conversion of land to agricultural use have been particularly harmful to the valleys and basins. Higher elevations have also seen the effects of livestock grazing, logging, open pit mines, and pipeline corridors. Some of the grasslands in particular have been seriously overgrazed by livestock. This has isolated many of the native reptiles and amphibians by preventing them from traveling among fragments of grassland habitat. In addition, most of the remaining patches of land in the valley bottoms are under intense development pressure and are slated to be converted to homes and farms in the near future.
The longleaf pine forests are one of the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems in the southeastern United States. Most of the country's pinewood forests were heavily logged during the early 1900s, and many of the second-growth forests that grew back were replaced by human development or converted into commercial pine plantations. Also detrimental to the area's native species has been the human suppression of wild fires, which once played an important role in the region's ecology by maintaining open woodland habitats. Because of these threats, only three percent of the habitat in this ecoregion is considered to be intact today.
Throughout this ecoregion, small isolated "islands" of old-growth forest, bogs, and prairie-oak woodlands are surrounded by agricultural land and sprawl from cities such as Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and Tacoma. Unfortunately, few of the remaining natural communities in this region have been protected; most have been converted to tree farms or small city and state parks. Fire suppression and the invasion of exotic species such as scotchbroom threaten the prairie-oak woodlands. Logging, flood control, and hydroelectric dams have also damaged much of the habitat.
Clearcut logging has destroyed nearly half of the forests on these islands, leaving behind bare land that is prone to landslides and serious erosion, given the high amount of rainfall. Forest clearing has also made the land more attractive to the introduced black-tailed deer, which is now eating the native forest species, such as western red cedar, before they have a chance to regenerate. Introduced beavers are also creating problems for native wildlife. Their damming of small streams is making it difficult for coho salmon to travel upstream and spawn. Similarly, introduced rats, squirrels, and raccoons have reduced the size of seabird colonies by eating eggs and young birds.
Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests
A large portion of these forests is still intact, mostly because it is inaccessible. However, cattle farming and intense fires have deteriorated some patches of land. In 1989 and 1996, fires consumed 27 square miles (70 square kilometers) and 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) of forest, respectively. Mistletoe and insects have also invaded and weakened older tree systems. The California condor once roamed the mountains of north Baja California, but disappeared around 1937 because of hunting and poisoning.
A century of intensive logging, mining, railroad building, development, fire suppression, and grazing by sheep and cattle have left only a quarter of the natural habitat in the Sierra Nevada intact. One-third of the giant sequoia trees have been cut, and the U.S. Forest Service was permitting the logging of these rare and unique trees as recently as the 1980s. While there are several large and well-protected national parks in this ecoregion, such as Yosemite and Sequoia, the vast majority of the native forests have been converted to tree plantations. Intensive forestry practices have not only taken much of the ancient forests, but they have dramatically simplified the structure of the forests today and made them much more prone to catastrophic fires. These forests are also more susceptible to outbreaks of fungal diseases and pests such as bark beetles. Outside the protection of national parks, most of the remaining fragments of original forest continue to face threats from logging, fire suppression, and grazing. Another alarming cause for concern in this ecoregion is the well-documented decline and disappearance of amphibians, which may be due to introduced fish, acid rain, and loss of habitat.
Indiscriminate logging and associated road building are the biggest threats to the South Central Rockies Forests ecoregion. Other threats include hard-rock mining, oil and gas development, invasion from exotic species, overgrazing by domestic livestock, and the growing construction of homes and recreational facilities. In addition, scientists believe that too many grizzly bears and reintroduced wolves are being killed by deer hunters every year, and the populations of these animals may be declining as a result.
