Natural Resources Chapter of the Master Plan - Town of Wolfeboro

Natural Resources Chapter, Wolfeboro, NH
Marsh and shrub wetlands have a broad range of flood regimes, often controlled by the
presence or departure of beavers. This system, which is an important food source for many
species, is often grouped into three broad habitat categories: wet meadows, emergent marshes,
and scrub-shrub wetlands. Marsh and wetlands filter pollutants, preventing them from getting
into local streams, and help hold water to reduce flooding.
Peatlands have water with low nutrient content and higher acidity caused by limited
groundwater input and surface runoff. Conservation of the 11 different natural communities that
comprise peatlands is vital to the continued existence of many rare plant and wildlife species in
New Hampshire. The most challenging issues facing peatlands habitat are development; altered
hydrology (amount and flow of water); non-point source pollutants such as road salt, lawn
fertilizers, and pesticides; and unsustainable forest harvesting.
Rocky ridges and talus slopes are two related but distinct habitats. Talus slopes, comprised of
loose or stable boulders and rocks, range from open, lichen covered talus "barrens" to closedcanopy
forested talus communities. Rocky ridges generally occur on outcrops and bedrock ridges
and summits below the alpine zone. Talus slopes and rocky ridges provide crucial habitat for
several rare wildlife species in New Hampshire.
Lowland Spruce Firs is a mosaic of lowland spruce-fir forest and red spruce swamp
communities. Though it only covers approximately 10% of New Hampshire, lowland spruce-fir
forests support 101 vertebrate species in the state.
It is important to note that the habitats are defined by vegetation type and structure, but are based
on the needs of wildlife. Because of this, NH Fish & Game included most forested wetlands as a
part of the forest habitats. Also, since many rare grassland bird species have specific nesting
habitat needs that include a minimum acreage, the grasslands were mapped at 25 acres and
above. Also, grasslands include croplands as they could easily be converted to grasslands.
The WAP Land Cover types were used to run a GIS analysis of co-occurring wildlife resources
(Figure 14). For this NRI, the Wildlife Co-Occurrence model included the following unweighted
parameters: WAP land cover types; NH Natural Heritage Bureau known species
location records (Figure 15); existing conservation lands and a 50‟ riparian buffer zone around
all wetlands, streams and surface waters.
The results of the Wildlife Co-Occurrence model are displayed on Figure 14. This model
indicates that some of the most important wildlife habitat in Wolfeboro is located along
Sargent‟s Lake and Lake Wentworth. Much of the high value habitat resources are located on
parcels that have been reserved for conservation. High value habitats that are not protected are
noted at the following locations: the intersection of Bickford Road and Stoddard Road; along
Ryefield Brook and most notably, the Warren Brook wetland complex located along the Town
boundary with Brookfield. A study completed by the Moose Mountain Regional Greenways in
Natural Resources Inventory, Wolfeboro, NH 41