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enough to be of'significance Of interest is the NC Natural Heritage Program listing of Piedmont Subtypes of the Basic Mesic Forest and the Mesic Mixe~Hardw~mmunities o c erring in Efland PiedmontlLow Mountain Alluvial Forest as exemplary Quad. Though the Alluvial Forest does occur on the site, it is only a very small and degraded example of the type and thus not neazly as significant as the two larger forest communities described. The Mesic Forest, becau eslisinot of itself as significant as the two larger forestrid of the two recognized Mesic Forest typ pak ~-Iickory Forest communities described, but its position within the interior of the lazger Dry is significant in that it contributes to the continuity of'the larger forest community. SIGNIFICANT TREE5 The survey map describes approximately .36 specimen trees with recorded diameters greater then 24 inches. In reality the fore e ~ Tainc pGy~Allison described being imp esedewith severale 20 to 30 plus inch diameter rang • ed trees when 100-plus-year-old hicokoe emirs r aestheticnremoval of'such trees from the forested tract during the he was performing beginning of his ownership in the early 1960's. The presence of so many specunen-sized trees (greater t~adn th0e U hid Depre lion Swamp Forest componentst~ons m Particular, the Dry Dom- Hickory P HAI;TTAT uVTEg12ELATIONSffiPS ON SITE AND VJI'TIi ADJACENT SITES 41 Landscape Ecolow Defined Landscape Ecology is a science that deals with the interrelast ms~with thruiee broadt chazacteristics: and built landscapes. It considers landscapes to be livingasttyern of elements and natural objects. structure, function and change.. Structure is the spatial p Function is the movement of these materials, energy, animals, plants and water through the stmcture And change is the alteration of stnicture and function through time. Habitats do not exist in isolation.. They aze part of a larger landscape, which can be described as a pattern mosaic comprised of three elements: patches, corridors and matrix or context.. The pattern of a landscape is created by three mechanisms: the substrate bf hilts, soil, wetness, etc..; natural disturbances of fire, flood, wind and pests; and human activity. Patches Patches are vegetated and non-vegetated areas of various sizes that are relatively omogeneou , non-linear and different from their surroundings.. The sizeort a~ anaz~ hee Pa ~ the mope tches determine the types and amount of wildlife they can supp species can be accommodated.. Studies have shown that certain species will not inhabit patches below a certain size. Patches also Kaye edges, the outer portions, where the environment differs from the interior and boundaries, which define their shape. A patch is made up ofa o uaazbitat types, interior and edge. The species that live in the interior aze specialists with p requirements for their survival, while those species that live on the edge aze gene ent d b aroads, adapt to many types of habitats.. When the size of a habitat is reduced or is fragm Y powerlines, or other clearings, there is proportionately much greater loss of interior habitat, The shape of a patch also has an effect on wildlife. A patch that is rounded and more compact will have a larger number of interior species while a patch with a convoluted edge will slightly increase the number of edge species but sharply decrease the number of interior species.. Lazge 11