Habitat CodeHabitat GroupNameDescription
CYSWCoastal Plain Inland HabitatsCypress SwampsSeasonally or permanently flooded swamps dominated by Cypresses, either Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) or Pond Cypress (T. ascendens); includes both floodplain swamps and non-riverine swamps associated with wet flats in the Outer Coastal Plain; also includes Carolina Bays that have Cypress forming a usually open canopy
LLSFCoastal Plain Inland HabitatsLongleaf Pine Savannas and FlatwoodsFrequently burned sandy flats in the Coastal Plain dominated by Longleaf Pines (Pinus palustris) in the canopy and usually with expanses of wiregrass, heaths, and other fire-tolerant herbs and shrubs in the ground-layers; savannas are fairly wet and support a rich diversity of herbaceous species; shrubs are more dominant in flatwoods (which in some cases represent fire-suppressed savannas)
PLNDCoastal Plain Inland HabitatsPeatlandsCoastal wetlands associated with permanently saturated, acidic, nutrient-poor peatland soils; vegetation is characterized by dense thickets of heaths, hollies, and other acid-loving shrubs; where these shrubs occur by themselves, the habitats are termed pocosins; canopies of Pond Pines, hardwood Bays, or Cypress may also present; includes Hillside Seepage Bogs in the Piedmont and Sandhill Seeps in the Fall-line Sandhills
SNDHCoastal Plain Inland HabitatsDry-xeric SandhillsWell-drained sandy uplands with an open canopy of Longleaf Pines and Turkey Oak (Quercus laevis) and other species of xerophytic oaks; found in small areas of relict dunes in the Outer Coastal Plain but cover large areas in the Fall-line Sandhills (fire-suppressed examples, where a closed canopy dominated by hardwoods exist are treated under Dry Hardwood Slopes and Ridges)
ALRNHuman Altered HabitatsArtificially Landscaped Residential NeighborhoodsResidential neighborhoods that have been heavily landscaped with non-native lawn species and other exotic ornamental plants
CDUAHuman Altered HabitatsCities and other Densely Urbanized AreasCity-scapes composed primarily of dense buildings and extensively paved areas; natural vegetation (primarily weedy species) is confined to \"waste areas\" or small, relatively isolated parks and gardens
CLNDHuman Altered HabitatsCroplandsFarmlands under active cultivation
CPGAHuman Altered HabitatsCity Park, Garden, or ArboretumCity Park, Garden, or Arboretum
OLFIHuman Altered HabitatsOld FieldsAbandoned farmland and regenerating clear-cuts dominated by a mixture of weedy herbaceous species and early successional trees and shrubs
PPLNHuman Altered HabitatsPine PlantationsTree plantations composed of Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) or other species of pines
PSNGHuman Altered HabitatsPastures and other Semi-natural GrasslandsPastures and other semi-natural grasslands especially containing populations of Broom-sedge (Andropogon virginicus) and other native grasses
SWRNHuman Altered HabitatsSemi-wooded Residential NeighborhoodsResidential neighborhoods that retain at least some cover of native tree species, including along the drainage-ways running through the neighborhood
YSGHHuman Altered HabitatsYoung Second-growth HardwoodsAbandoned farmland and cut-over areas that have succeeded beyond the herbaceous, old-field stage and now support dense stands of early successional hardwoods
BPSWRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsBeaver Ponds and Other Shallow ImpoundmentsOpen pond habitats naturally created by beavers but also including man-made ponds where natural vegetation has been allowed to develop; vegetation includes emergent and floating plants associated with the ponds themselves as well as hummocks of sedges and other herbaceous species that develop as the ponds begin to fill in with sediments
CABRRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsCanebrakesDense thickets of cane, growing either by themselves (true Canebrakes) or under a canopy composed of various types of trees
FSPRRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsForest Seeps and SpringsHerb-dominated wetlands located as patches within bottomland hardwoods, usually at the base of steep slopes but often extending out into the floodplain
FWMARiparian and Shoreline HabitatsFreshwater MarshesWetland habitats associated with freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes; vegetation consists primarily of cattails, tall grasses and sedges, and other herbaceous plants tolerant of deep or prolonged flooding
SWATRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsShoreline Willow and Alder ThicketsThickets of willows (Salix sp.), alders (Alnus sp.), and other shrubs associated with the shorelines of rivers, lakes, ponds, and estuaries
WTHWRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsFloodplain and Non-riverine Wet Hardwoods -- GenericFrequently or occasionally flooded forests dominated by hardwood trees; used when the substrate (Acidic or Basic) is not known
WTHW-BLWRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsFloodplain and Non-riverine Wet Hardwoods -- BlackwaterFrequently or occasionally flooded forests dominated by hardwood trees; usually associated with floodplains of blackwater rivers and streams in the Coastal Plain but also including the floodplains of brownwater rivers in the Coastal Plain, i.e., the Roanoke, Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear, all of which originate in the Piedmont or Mountains. But also found on wet flats with mineral (i.e., non-peatland) soils in the Outer Coastal Plain
WTHW-BRWRiparian and Shoreline HabitatsFloodplain and Non-riverine Wet Hardwoods -- BrownwaterFrequently or occasionally flooded forests dominated by hardwood trees; usually associated with floodplains of Piedmont rivers and streams but also including the floodplains of brownwater rivers in the Coastal Plain, i.e., the Roanoke, Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear, all of which originate in the Piedmont or Mountains. Also includes forested examples of upland depressions.
CDGSTidewater HabitatsCoastal Dune Grasslands and ScrubOpen grasslands and shrub thickets associated with sand dunes on barrier islands; includes the fore-dunes dominated by Sea Oats and American Beach Grass as well as more diverse grassland and shrubland habitats located in the dune fields behind the barrier dunes
MARFTidewater HabitatsMaritime ForestsForests dominated by Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) growing on barrier islands and areas on the mainland that border sounds or estuaries
SLTMTidewater HabitatsSaltwater Marshes and FlatsTidal wetlands along the edges of coastal sounds and estuaries; dominated by salt-tolerant grasses and other herbaceous species; also includes less frequently flooded flats supporting thickets of Red Cedars and other salt-tolerant shrubs and herbs
BDRHFUpland HabitatsBasic Dry Hardwood Slopes and RidgesDry Hardwood forests growing on basic substrates and supporting stands of trees and shrubs requiring soils with a high nutrient content and high pH.
BHEHFUpland HabitatsBasic High Elevation Hardwood ForestsHigh elevation hardwood forests growing on basic substrates (e.g., Amphibolite) and supporting a high diversity of herbs, shrubs, and trees requiring soils with high nutrient content and high pH
BMEHSUpland HabitatsBasic-Mesic Hardwood SlopesMesic forests growing on basic substrates and supporting a high diversity of spring wildflowers and other species of plants requiring soils with a high nutrient content and high soil pH
DRHFUpland HabitatsDry Hardwood Slopes and RidgesForests (closed canopy) and woodlands (open canopy) dominated by hardwoods associated with dry ridges and slopes primarily in the Piedmont and Mountains (in the Coastal Plain, similar habitats would be normally dominated by Longleaf Pine communities); vegetation is characteristically composed of oaks and hickories, usually with an intermixture of upland pines and heath thickets
HEGBUpland HabitatsHigh Elevation Grass BaldsNatural or semi-natural grasslands occurring on the tops of high elevation ridges in the Southern Appalachians
HEHFUpland HabitatsHigh Elevation Hardwood ForestsForests containing species of birches, maples, poplars, and other species typical of forests growing farther to the north and that are only found at higher elevations (usually above 4,000\' in the Southern Appalachians);
MBFEUpland HabitatsMountain Bogs and FensPeatland habitats located at moderate to relatively high elevations in the Southern Appalachians; herbs and shrubs associated with these habitats are often highly disjunct from their major ranges farther north
MEHSUpland HabitatsMesic Hardwood SlopesForests composed of hardwoods growing on cool, moist slopes; associated with ravines and north-facing slopes in the Piedmont and more rarely in the Coastal Plain; associated with Coves in the Low Mountains; American Beech (Fagus americanus) and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) are found throughout the state in these habitats
OROB-AUpland HabitatsOpen Rock Outcrops and Glades -- AcidicOpen glades associated with acidic rock formations that are either exposed or buried just below the surface; trees, if present, are often stunted or confined to the margins of the glades (heath barrens are included under Upland Heath Thickets)
OROB-BUpland HabitatsOpen Rock Outcrops and Glades -- BasicOpen glades associated with basic rock formations that are either exposed or buried just below the surface; trees, if present, are often stunted or confined to the margins of the glades
SFCFUpland HabitatsSpruce-fir Coniferous ForestsHigh elevation conifer forests dominated by Red Spruce (Picea rubens) and Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri); restricted to elevations above 4,500\', now badly ravaged by the Balsam Wooly Adelgid and acid preciptitation
UPHTUpland HabitatsUpland Heath ThicketsThickets of blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, and other heaths growing on acidic ridges and drier slopes, including heath balds in the Mountains (species associated with cool, moist habitats are covered by Mesic Hardwood Slopes)
UNKN_Habitat Unknown