Sensitive Plant Communities

Over half of the southern landscape is forested, but nearly all of the land has been modified considerably, especially during the centuries following European settlement (See history chapters). Such extensive changes in the southern landscape have contributed to the threatened status of many plant and animal species that are now protected under the Endangered Species Act. Additionally these changes have resulted in the reduction and degradation of native plant communities. Conserving and managing communities can contribute to the conservation of natural biological diversity by protecting ecological functions and providing habitats for many individual species of concern. As targets for conservation, natural or semi-natural communities may protect rare species, especially non-vascular plants and invertebrates for which inventories are universally inadequate, This chapter defines sensitive community and reviews assessments of southeastern sensitive communities. The chapter provides accounts of selected sensitive communities, including then distribution, composition, species, threats, and management. A, final section summarizes factors! likely to influence the success of sen sitive community management.