CHAPTER IV: WILDLIFE HABITATS FOR MISSISSIPPI’S SGCN,
THREATS AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS^135LOCATION, SIZE, CONDITION AND CONSERVATION STATUS
EGCP, UEGCP, MSRAP
The bottomland hardwood forests subtype occurs in linear patches on
floodplains along creeks and rivers. Several large patches of 50,000 - 100,000
acres are found along lowland stretches of the Pascagoula and Pearl River and
in the Mississippi Delta; however the total acreage of bottomland hardwood
forests along smaller rivers is substantial. Collectively, bottomland hardwood
forests make up almost seven percent of the state's land area (about two million
acres). Except in the Mississippi Delta, where they occur within wide
expanses of agriculture land, these forests are adjoined by upland hardwood
and pine forests, urban lands and smaller agricultural holdings.
Bottomland hardwood forest losses have been primarily attributed to the conversion of land to
agricultural production; however, construction and operation of flood control structures, reservoir
creation, surface mining, urban development and exotic weeds and insects are also negatively affecting
these forests. Due to drainage efforts, levee construction, improved road access, increased agricultural
usage and closer proximity to development, the remaining bottomland hardwood forests are fragmented
and many no longer perform provide flood water storage, nutrient trapping, groundwater recharge and
wildlife habitat. However, due to flooding frequency this habitat is difficult to convert into other uses,
and many patches of bottomland forest have been conserved because of their increasing value for
outdoor recreation such as fishing, hunting, and hiking.
Bottomland hardwood forests are vulnerable in the state due to widespread conversion in the past;
other factors that contribute to fragmentation and reduce function could lead to further declines.
SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED ASSOCIATED WITH
BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD FORESTS
GROUP SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME TIER
Birds Egretta caerulea Little Blue Heron 2
Mycteria americana Wood Stork 2
Elanoides forficatus Swallow-Tailed Kite 2
Dendroica cerulea Cerulean Warbler 2
Limnothlypis swainsonii Swainson's Warbler 2
Euphagus carolinus Rusty Blackbird 2
Eudocimus albus White Ibis 2
Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-Headed Woodpecker 3
Hylocichla mustelina Wood Thrush 3
Protonotaria citrea Prothonotary Warbler 3
Oporornis formosus Kentucky Warbler 3
Anhinga anhinga Anhinga 3
Range of Bottomland
Hardwood Forests