4) Chapter 4 Maryland's Key Wildlife Habitats MARYLAND’S KEY WILDLIFE HABITATS Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4-1 What are Key Wildlife Habitats? ................................................................................................. 4-2 Key Wildlife Habitat Classification ..................................................................................... 4-5 Mapping Maryland’s Key Wildlife Habitats ....................................................................... 4-6 Structural Conditions of Key Wildlife Habitats................................................................... 4-7 Upland Habitats ......................................................................................................................... 4-12 Forests.................................................................................................................................... 4-12 High Elevation Ridge Forest .............................................................................................. 4-12 Hemlock-Northern Hardwood Forest ................................................................................ 4-14 Cove Forest ........................................................................................................................ 4-16 Montane-Piedmont Oak-Pine Forest.................................................................................. 4-19 Oak-Hickory Forest ........................................................................................................... 4-21 Basic Mesic Forest ............................................................................................................. 4-24 Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest ......................................................................................... 4-26 Coastal Plain Oak-Pine Forest ........................................................................................... 4-28 Coastal Plain Pitch Pine Forest .......................................................................................... 4-31 Maritime Forest and Shrubland ......................................................................................... 4-33 Glades, Barrens, and Cliffs .................................................................................................... 4-35 Serpentine Barren............................................................................................................... 4-35 Shale Barren ....................................................................................................................... 4-37 Acidic Glade and Barren .................................................................................................... 4-39 Basic Glade and Barren ..................................................................................................... 4-41 Cliff and Rock Outcrop ...................................................................................................... 4-43 Coastal Bluff ...................................................................................................................... 4-46 Coastal Beaches and Dunes................................................................................................... 4-47 Coastal Beach..................................................................................................................... 4-47 Maritime Dune and Grassland ........................................................................................... 4-49 Wetland Habitats .................................................................................................................... 4-51 Floodplain Wetlands .............................................................................................................. 4-51 Montane-Piedmont Floodplain .......................................................................................... 4-51 4-i MARYLAND’S KEY WILDLIFE HABITATS Coastal Plain Floodplain .................................................................................................... 4-54 Groundwater Wetlands .......................................................................................................... 4-57 Montane Bog and Fen ........................................................................................................ 4-57 Montane-Piedmont Acidic Seepage Swamp ...................................................................... 4-59 Montane-Piedmont Basic Seepage Swamp ....................................................................... 4-62 Piedmont Seepage Wetland ............................................................................................... 4-64 Piedmont Upland Depression Swamp ............................................................................... 4-66 Coastal Plain Flatwood and Depression Swamp ............................................................... 4-68 Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp ........................................................................................... 4-70 Coastal Plain Seepage Bog and Fen ................................................................................... 4-72 Delmarva Bay .................................................................................................................... 4-75 Maritime Swamp ................................................................................................................ 4-78 Vernal Pool ........................................................................................................................ 4-79 Spring ................................................................................................................................. 4-82 Tidal Wetlands ....................................................................................................................... 4-84 Tidal Forest ........................................................................................................................ 4-84 Tidal Freshwater Marsh and Shrubland ............................................................................. 4-87 Tidal Brackish Marsh and Shrubland ................................................................................ 4-89 Tidal Salt Marsh and Shrubland ........................................................................................ 4-91 Intertidal Mudflat and Sand Flat ........................................................................................ 4-94 Aquatic Habitats......................................................................................................................... 4-96 Streams and Rivers ................................................................................................................ 4-96 Coldwater Stream............................................................................................................... 4-96 Limestone Stream .............................................................................................................. 4-98 Highland Stream .............................................................................................................. 4-100 Piedmont Stream .............................................................................................................. 4-102 Coastal Plain Stream ........................................................................................................ 4-104 Blackwater Stream ........................................................................................................... 4-107 Highland River ................................................................................................................. 4-109 Piedmont River ................................................................................................................ 4-111 Coastal Plain River .......................................................................................................... 4-113 4-ii MARYLAND’S KEY WILDLIFE HABITATS Bay and Ocean ..................................................................................................................... 4-116 Shellfish Bed .................................................................................................................... 4-116 Hard Bottom (Living and Non-living) ............................................................................. 4-118 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ....................................................................................... 4-120 Macroalgae ....................................................................................................................... 4-122 Pelagic – Open Water ...................................................................................................... 4-123 Subterranean Habitats .............................................................................................................. 4-125 Cave and Karst ................................................................................................................. 4-125 Other Habitats .......................................................................................................................... 4-127 Managed Montane Conifer Forest ................................................................................... 4-127 Managed Successional Forest .......................................................................................... 4-129 Managed Grassland .........................................................................................................