Conserving Forests for Wildlife
Troubled Waters and Other Endangered Habitats
Conservation to Connect Habitats
The Role of Sportsmen and Sportswomen


Conserving Forests for Wildlife

To protect wildlife species, we need to conserve the landscape on which they depend for survival. Land use in the northern Virginia Piedmont has undergone dramatic changes in the past few hundred years, altering the natural ecology of the area. Indeed, noted authors observe that the landscape has undergone a near complete transformation over the last 350 years.

Before European settlement, vast areas of eastern deciduous forest were dominated by oak species, white oak (Quercus alba) in particular. However, human caused disturbances such as extensive logging and land clearing, a period of catastrophic fires followed by an era of fire suppression, and the introduction of exotic insects, plants, and diseases have all led to unprecedented and rapid changes in forest composition and structure, which is especially true in the Virginia Piedmont region. For instance, the once-dominant chestnut tree has been extirpated from our forests by a non-native blight and the Piedmont has seen the loss of vast tracts of pine forests from unbridled logging.

These ecological changes were followed by a virtual cessation of oak regeneration because of fire suppression coupled with intensive deer browsing. As a result there has been virtually no white oak recruitment for the last century and little species regeneration of most of the other major upland oak species for at least 50 years.

This shift in forest composition has implications for many wildlife species since the acorn or mast producing trees are a major food source. For instance, the red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), and other small mammals rely heavily on acorns for fall and winter diets. Also, the furrowed bark and short-petioled leaves of oak trees may provide better foraging opportunities to insectivores. Since a variety of wildlife depend on oak trees for survival, the depletion of these trees is may have a cascading affect through the system.

PEC encourages interested landowners not only to protect their woodlands from fragmentation and development, but to incorporate sound management practices that will promote thriving forests characterized by native species. In the Piedmont, more than 125,000 acres of private forestland (in addition to publicly owned forests) are permanently protected.

Troubled Waters and Other Endangered Habitats

Among declining animal species in the Piedmont, aquatic populations are particularly troubled, sometimes to the point of crisis. In 2006, fish kills decimated populations in the Shenandoah River, while male bass throughout the Potomac watershed were found to be bearing eggs. Rivers in the Piedmont flow into the Chesapeake Bay, so the quality of our water contributes directly to the relief or worsening of vast "dead zones" in this vulnerable ecological treasure. Nearly a third of the wildlife species listed by the state as in need of conservation are fish, mussels, snails, crayfish or amphibians. Learn more about Land Use and Water Quality or Wetlands Protection in the Piedmont.

Many animals that depend on grasslands are also struggling. Species such as bobwhite quail have experienced dramatic declines as the grassy fields they require are developed, used for other kinds of crops, or allowed to grow into forests.

The Virginia Wildlife Action Plan states: "Habitat destruction and fragmentation
dominate the list of problems facing terrestrial wildlife in the Commonwealth. For Virginia's aquatic wildlife, the Action Plan identifies certain agricultural and forestry practices that have greatly affected water and habitat quality. Pollution and habitat changes from industry and municipal development are also critical issues for aquatic species."

Conservation to Connect Habitats

As noted in the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan, landscape fragmentation is one of the most prominent threats to wildlife in Virginia. Fragmentation occurs on two basic levels: (1) the division of larger tracts into smaller holdings, and (2) the reduction of the size of habitat patches within parcels. Fragmentation can render private forests, as well as other natural resources and waterways, increasingly vulnerable to environmental degradation. The resulting ecological patchwork ultimately affects whole ecosystems-with enormous consequences for the sustainability of healthy, productive natural resources.

Some wildlife species require large home ranges while others migrate long distances in order to find food and shelter, breed, reproduce, and disperse. Therefore, PEC encourages land conservation that will restore and protect expanses of continuous habitat as well as corridors that connect major habitat areas. For instance, corridors are needed to connect Shenandoah National Park and nearby habitat lands with Virginia's coastal plain to the east and protected forests to the west. With the help of a Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant, PEC has identified key wildlife corridors in our region, most of which follow natural features including rivers or mountain ranges. These corridor designations help PEC to prioritize lands for strategic conservation.

The Role of Sportsmen and Sportswomen

The Piedmont is experiencing a dramatic resurgence of many wildlife species, including such game animals as whitetail deer, black bear, turkeys and geese. The abundance of these animals benefits people who pursue this area's tradition of hunting. Further, these thriving populations benefit local economies. Statewide, approximately four million people spend more than $1.6 billion every year to engage in hunting, fishing, or wildlife-watching activities.

It is in large part because of sportsmen and sportswomen that game and other wildlife do abound in the Piedmont. Hunters and anglers have a clear interest in maintaining healthy populations of fish and game, and they support wildlife conservation and management efforts through their purchase of licenses and equipment and their payment of related fees. In the absence of naturally occurring predators, hunters also help to balance the ecosystem by culling overabundant wildlife populations as needed.