KUCHLER TYPE VALUE AND USE
KUCHLER TYPE: Pocosin



FORESTRY VALUES : 
Some pocosins are managed for wood products [13,14].


RANGE VALUES : 
Pocosins are drained to create range for cattle [14].


WILDLIFE VALUES : 
Pocosins are considered regionally critical habitat because they are
usually the only natural areas left for wildlife.  No species of plants
or animals are unique to pocosins, but these types may serve as key
habitats for certain faunal communities.  Some wildlife that use
pocosins and that have federal or state protection status include the
swallowtail and Hessel's hairstreak butterflies, the pine barrens tree
frog, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and the American alligator
[13].  Pocosins provide some habitat for the endangered red-cockaded
woodpecker [7,13].


OTHER VALUES : 
Pocosins have been drained to grow crops like soybeans and corn [13].
Peat is mined from pocosins [13,14].


MANAGEMENT CONCERNS : 
For longterm biodiversity and ecosystem stability, pocosin management
should be based on maintaining the natural hydrological regime.  Loss of
wetlands in the Southeast (of which pocosins are an important part)
occurs at a rate of 156,000 hectares per year.  About half the area in
pocosin communities is owned by corporate agriculture and timber
companies.  To grow crops or trees, pocosins are drained and much of the
natural vegetation completely removed.  Soils are often altered to
prepare for forestry or agriculture, significantly changing the natural
ecological processes of pocosins [13].  Peat mining requires drying out
the surface peat, which increases the probability of severe fire.  Peat
mining may also cause land subsidence, followed by saltwater intrusion
[14].

For detailed information on pocosin management not related to fire refer
to Ash and others [20] and Richardson [22].

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Pocosin