Description: Conserving Working Forest Lands. The Conserving Working Forest Lands map shows areas of North Carolina that should be targeted to prevent the loss of working forestlands from development and conversion to other nonforestry uses. These lands have high values for connectivity with other forestlands, water quality protection in existing high-quality waters, habitat for wildlife, and strong markets for hardwood and softwood products. The final component in the map is development risk. With active and informed forest management, these lands can provide economic and ecosystem benefits; in the absence of involved and informed management, they are at higher risk of succumbing to development pressure.
Name: Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk
Display Field: ID
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk (FIGURE 1b-3) The Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk map shows areas of North Carolina where wildfire mitigation and preparedness efforts can reduce loss of life and property, and prevent degradation of the forest resource due to intense fires typical of southern forests. These lands rank high for wildfire susceptibility in the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment System (ArcGIS software). Many of these areas are considered to be within the wildland-urban interface, and many are owned by individuals who may be unfamiliar with the role of fire in southern forests and firewise building principles.
Description: Threats to Forest Health (FIGURE 1b-4) The Forest Health Priority map shows areas of North Carolina currently at a moderate to high risk of damage from insects and diseases, both native and/or established and imminent invasive threats. The specific pests used to develop this map are as follows: southern pine beetle, littleleaf disease, annosus root rot, fusiform rust, hemlock woolly adelgid, balsam woolly adelgid, beech bark disease, redbay ambrosia beetlelaurel wilt, emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and sirex woodwasp. As the map shows, both rural and urban landscapes across the state will likely see negative impacts from these pests. Although climate change is an important factor in modeling future impacts to forest health, much of the data is very coarse and was consequently left out of this analysis.
Description: Maintaining Viable Urban Forests (FIGURE 1b-5) The Maintaining Viable Urban Forests map shows areas of North Carolina that are essential for restoring, conserving, and maintaining healthy urban trees and forests. These lands are experiencing rapid urbanization, increased amounts of impervious surface, and a higher number of catastrophic storm events, while also having tree canopy potential to offset the negative impacts of land-use change. These urban forestlands also have high values for energy conservation and improved air quality. Many municipalities within the priority areas manage their urban forests with limited resources and lack one or more of the components necessary for a sustained community forestry program. Coordinated planning and management of urban forests across jurisdictional boundaries will require new partnerships and initiatives at municipal, county, and statewide levels.
Description: Rural Forest Priority Landscapes (FIGURE 1b-6) The Rural Forest Priority Landscapes map shows areas of North Carolina where forestry is an especially significant part of the rural landscape. Forestlands in these areas provide valuable benefits, such as the protection of critical water quality resources, wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species, and viable economic options for landowners. Threats to forest health and productivity through insect and disease pests and wildfire are especially significant in these areas. Threats here have the potential to disrupt ecological systems depended upon by all NC inhabitants. Much of the priority rural forest acreage is in the NC coastal plain and mountains, though significant priority area exists in the Uwharrie Mountains, sandhills, and northern tier areas of the piedmont.
Description: Urban Forest Landscape Priority (FIGURE 1b-7) The Urban Forest Landscape Priority map complements the Maintaining Viable Urban Forests map (FIGURE 1b-5) by adding layers from these maps that have an urban component: Conserving Working Forestlands (FIGURE 1b-2), Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk (FIGURE 1b-3), and Forest Health Priority (FIGURE 1b-4). Wildland-urban interface areas have inherent urban components, and many of these areas need intervention to reduce wildfire risk. Improving water quality is a commonly cited reason for maintaining urban tree canopy. Forest insects and diseases spread regardless of what is urban forest and what is rural; indeed, many invasive pests become established first in urban areas due to the easy movement afforded by dense transportation networks. Much of the forestland delineated as priority in this map are tracts of less than 14 acres. Parcelization and fragmentation are issues that must be addressed to effectively manage these forests.
Name: Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk (Simplified)
Display Field: ID
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk (FIGURE 1b-3) The Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk map shows areas of North Carolina where wildfire mitigation and preparedness efforts can reduce loss of life and property, and prevent degradation of the forest resource due to intense fires typical of southern forests. These lands rank high for wildfire susceptibility in the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment System (ArcGIS software). Many of these areas are considered to be within the wildland-urban interface, and many are owned by individuals who may be unfamiliar with the role of fire in southern forests and firewise building principles.
Description: Threats to Forest Health (FIGURE 1b-4) The Forest Health Priority map shows areas of North Carolina currently at a moderate to high risk of damage from insects and diseases, both native and/or established and imminent invasive threats. The specific pests used to develop this map are as follows: southern pine beetle, littleleaf disease, annosus root rot, fusiform rust, hemlock woolly adelgid, balsam woolly adelgid, beech bark disease, redbay ambrosia beetlelaurel wilt, emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and sirex woodwasp. As the map shows, both rural and urban landscapes across the state will likely see negative impacts from these pests. Although climate change is an important factor in modeling future impacts to forest health, much of the data is very coarse and was consequently left out of this analysis.
Description: Maintaining Viable Urban Forests (FIGURE 1b-5) The Maintaining Viable Urban Forests map shows areas of North Carolina that are essential for restoring, conserving, and maintaining healthy urban trees and forests. These lands are experiencing rapid urbanization, increased amounts of impervious surface, and a higher number of catastrophic storm events, while also having tree canopy potential to offset the negative impacts of land-use change. These urban forestlands also have high values for energy conservation and improved air quality. Many municipalities within the priority areas manage their urban forests with limited resources and lack one or more of the components necessary for a sustained community forestry program. Coordinated planning and management of urban forests across jurisdictional boundaries will require new partnerships and initiatives at municipal, county, and statewide levels.
Description: Rural Forest Priority Landscapes (FIGURE 1b-6) The Rural Forest Priority Landscapes map shows areas of North Carolina where forestry is an especially significant part of the rural landscape. Forestlands in these areas provide valuable benefits, such as the protection of critical water quality resources, wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species, and viable economic options for landowners. Threats to forest health and productivity through insect and disease pests and wildfire are especially significant in these areas. Threats here have the potential to disrupt ecological systems depended upon by all NC inhabitants. Much of the priority rural forest acreage is in the NC coastal plain and mountains, though significant priority area exists in the Uwharrie Mountains, sandhills, and northern tier areas of the piedmont.
Description: Urban Forest Landscape Priority (FIGURE 1b-7) The Urban Forest Landscape Priority map complements the Maintaining Viable Urban Forests map (FIGURE 1b-5) by adding layers from these maps that have an urban component: Conserving Working Forestlands (FIGURE 1b-2), Protecting Forests and Communities from Wildfire Risk (FIGURE 1b-3), and Forest Health Priority (FIGURE 1b-4). Wildland-urban interface areas have inherent urban components, and many of these areas need intervention to reduce wildfire risk. Improving water quality is a commonly cited reason for maintaining urban tree canopy. Forest insects and diseases spread regardless of what is urban forest and what is rural; indeed, many invasive pests become established first in urban areas due to the easy movement afforded by dense transportation networks. Much of the forestland delineated as priority in this map are tracts of less than 14 acres. Parcelization and fragmentation are issues that must be addressed to effectively manage these forests.