Can the Maritime Forest exist Climate Change ?
Barrier islands have proven to be democratic vacation getaways for well over a hundred now, and with good reason .
stellar views of sunlight glistening like gems on the ocean ’ randomness rolling waves, arenaceous beaches strewn with driftwood artfully sculpted by the sea, gulls and pelicans soaring over dunes lined with Sea Oats and Sea Grapes, hungry shorebirds hunting for fish in tidal flats, and aureate light streaming through dense coastal forests provide welcome easing from the stress and strife of everyday animation.
The unique ecosystems that can be found on these islands have been thriving with flora and fauna for countless eons. And there has been a noteworthy interconnectivity between the land, the sea and the communities of people that live on and around them dating back well over 10,000 years, with each depending on the early to varying degrees .
DEFINING THE MARITIME FOREST
typically found on barrier islands or in narrow-minded bands near the ocean, the Maritime Forest – defined as “ any coastal wooded habitat found on higher grind than dunes and within range of salt spray ” – builds up gradually over time .
The meek climate and abundant food resources of these forests provide crucial sanctuary for a wide diversity of nature and wildlife. You can find these essential ecosystems ranging from Florida up the Atlantic seashore to Virginia, across the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, and in the Pacific Northwest ranging from Oregon to British Columbia .
Though the plants and animals found within the forests of these disparate geographic areas vary widely, they all share sealed qualities in common. But possibly the most significant is the fact that humans have historically relied on them for food, refreshment and tax income ( from tourism, hunting/fishing, log, etc. ), and that the rise of global warm poses a terror to their future .
UNDERSTANDING MARITIME FOREST ECOLOGY
According to Jeb Byers, a professor at the University of Georgia ’ s Odum School of Ecology, nautical forests begin their evolution as sand dunes. Shrubs such as Wax Myrtle gradually take root as the dune accumulates soil, providing the constancy that larger trees need to grow .
As more vegetation comes in, the dirty becomes richer and more fruitful, and the plants that thrive there boast root systems tolerant to high levels of salt and backbone. Some evening have a impressionable coating on their leaves to protect them from sea spray .
As anyone who has visited these island habitats can attest, nautical forests are green and alcoholic with plant liveliness, including the omnipresent Live Oak, Eastern Red Cedar, Loblolly Pine, Southern Magnolia, Hickory, Cabbage Palm, Saw Palmetto and numerous epiphytes ( a.k.a. tune plants, such as spanish moss ). They ’ re normally bordered by grassland dunes, seawater marshes and estuaries, making them a haven for a broad variety show of both native and migrant wildlife species .
“ The combination of birds, reptiles and mammals found hera keeps it interesting, ” say naturalist Raleigh Nyenhuis. “ Bald eagles and other raptors nest in the tops of the grandiloquent pines and prey on everything from cotton-tail rabbits to snakes and turtles. White-tail deer roll around, nibbling on low-lying plants .
Populations of fallow deer, a non-native species brought over from Europe in the early 1900s, have besides permeated the forests. Although they ’ ra beautiful, they ’ re invasive and cause destruction to the vegetation ampere well. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake can be found from the dune ecosystem throughout most of the barrier island, but surely favor our nautical forests, hiding in the tad of Saw Palmettos and waiting for minor prey to come along. ”
The nautical forests of British Columbia, where First Nations tribes have lived in harmony with nature since the end of the Ice Age, are dominated by honest-to-god growth conifers such as westerly crimson cedar, western hemlock and Sitka spruce, which rank among the largest trees on the planet. This epic dress is home to a broad diverseness of dramatic wildlife, including three species of bear ( black, grizzly and the rare Kermode “ Spirit ” bear ), wolves, cougars and mountain goats .
Let ’ s not forget the abundant nautical life that can be found just off the slide of these nautical forests, which includes whales, dolphins, sharks and, in the waters off of British Columbia, the salmon on which many of the forest ’ sulfur predators ultimately feed. And of course there are the ten thousand other pisces and shellfish that feed the people living in and traveling to these coastal communities .
The ocean, beach, nautical afforest and tidal marsh ecosystems are all inextricably connected. It ’ s this delicate ecological balance that makes places like Georgia ’ south Cumberland Island and BC ’ s Great Bear Rainforest therefore fabulously extra. But it ’ s besides what makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental changes .
THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Barrier islands serve an important character, not only for the people and animals that inhabit them, but besides for mainland coastal areas. Their dunes and forests help to break up ocean swells, literally serving as a barrier for the lagoons, estuaries, marshes and coast behind them. They besides help to protect the mainland from devastating weather patterns, such as hurricanes and other tropical storms .
The majority of the world ’ s scientists believe that ball-shaped warming– the term used to describe the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth ’ s atmosphere– is creating a permanent wave change in the satellite ’ randomness climate.
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But most of the energy generated by the unprecedented climate changes documented over the past century has gone into warming the planet ’ randomness oceans. And there are growing concerns about the long-run shock these changes could have on barrier islands and coastal regions around the world .
Andy MacKinnon, the generator of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast ( who has been referred to as “ the Rock Star of Botanists ” ), illustrates a few of the ways rising temperatures are already beginning to impact the ocean in the Pacific Northwest .
“ Our marine waters are warming and becoming more acidic, and they ’ ra predicted to become even more sol as this hundred progresses, ” he cautions. “ Salmon have narrow temperature tolerances and will probable become more abundant in rivers further north, and less abundant in southern rivers. We ’ ra already beginning to see problems in aquaculture : due to lower ph levels, mollusk spit can ’ thymine form proper shells. current projections are for longer summer droughts in some areas, which could lead to increasing incidence of burn, insects and disease in our forests. ”
even more trouble oneself is the accelerated rise in Global Mean Sea Level since the early 1900s caused by rising temperatures melting glaciers and arctic frosting caps, particularly in the Arctic. Between 1870 and 2004, global average ocean levels are estimated to have risen a total of 195 millimeter. At the stream annual pace of acceleration, the 1990 to 2100 sea flush raise would range from 280 to 340 mm, affecting most of the world ’ s coastal communities .
“ This sea horizontal surface emanation is impeding into fresh water ecosystems throughout the maritime forest, ” says Nyenhuis, “ which is having a minus affect on several amphibian species. Sea flat resurrect may besides decrease the amount of salt marsh we have, and finally decrease nautical forest habitat. The decrease in these habitats will influence all of the wildlife that depends on these areas for survival. The mutuality between the maritime forest and the ocean is apparent : once the ocean begins expanding, the salt marsh and nautical forest will begin decreasing. ”
SPEAKING FOR THE TREES
fortunately, scientists, government organizations and a assortment of non-profit conservation groups have hanker recognized both the intrinsic value of barrier islands and maritime forests and the indigence to protect them .
Professor Byers points out that much of Georgia ’ s closely 100 miles of coastline and 378,000 acres of salt marsh ( 33 % of the entire left on the East Coast ) have some form of union, department of state or private conservation security, including Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, Ossabaw Island and St. Catherine ’ mho Island. And organizations such as Coastal Conservation Association Georgia, Georgia Conservancy and the Southern Environmental Law Center study indefatigably to improve the overall ecological health of the Georgia seashore .
“ One of our local agencies, The St. Simons Land Trust, has purchased a 600-acre, intact nautical forest on the north end of St. Simons Island, ” adds Nyenhuis. “ This sphere is open to locals and visitors alike to enjoy. The nature Conservancy has recently received the entire island of Little St. Simons as a contribution. They will now be able to protect and maintain the island everlastingly. ”
That ’ s not to say that the threat to these forests and barrier islands is over : The competitiveness against over-development, lax enforcement of environmental laws and the effects of global heating is constant. But there are many agencies doing their character to protect and maintain nautical forests, and an increasing act of responsible tourism options that help fund conservation efforts in the area .
naturally, Nyenhuis hopes the future will bring even more. “ Personally, I ’ five hundred sexual love to see more acreage of maritime afforest protected by local, national and worldwide agencies, ” she says. “ The more protect sphere we have, the more species we ’ ll see thriving along our beautiful coastline. not lone does this help the wildlife, but it ensures the enrichment of human lives for centuries to come. ” –Bret Love; photos by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett unless otherwise noted
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