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Some areas that appear to be young Northern Hardwood Forests at present are actually successional communities. Some developed after the destruction of Spruce -Fir Forest. Others developed where exclusion of fire shifted canopy dominance away from oak species. In both cases, where this can be documented, restoration to the original communities rather than attempting to retain them as Northern Hardwood Forests is desirable. Theme Summary: Communities and species associated with this theme are all highly likely to be affected by changes in temperature and moisture associated with climate change. Although occupying a larger area and probably somewhat more resilient than the Spruce -Fir Forests theme, this theme contains a similar high proportion of endemics and major disjuncts, the loss of which cannot be replaced. Along with the Spruce -Fir Forests, this theme should be considered as one of the most threatened by climate change and should receive a high priority for intervention. Like the Spruce -Fir Forests, a substantial amount of the acreage of this theme is located on public lands or on other conservation lands. Consequently, intervention should be easier to implement for this theme than for many others. References: Arbogast, B.S.; Browne, R.A.; Weigl, P.D.; and Kenagy, G. J. 2005. Conservation genetics of endangered flying squirrels (Glaucomys) from the Appalachian mountains of eastern North America. Animal Conservation (2005) 8, 123 -133 Louis R. Iverson , Anantha M. Prasad, Stephen N. Matthews, Matthew Peters 2008. Estimating potential habitat for 134 eastern US tree species under six climate scenarios. Forest Ecology and Management 254 (2008) 390 -406. Lessig, H. 2008. Species distribution and richness patterns of bird communities In the high elevation Forests of Virginia. M.S. Thesis, VPI, Blacksburg, VA Appendix B 181