The threats to successional maritime forests include development pressure, invasive species, and deer browse. An increase in residential and commercial development causes fragmentation of the natural forest and a decrease in the size of the forest block into smaller and smaller units. Development and new roads also increase the potential for the invasion of exotic species that will out compete the native ones. These forests can also experience excessive deer browse on seedlings and saplings that can prevent the regeneration and establishment of mature forest trees.

To promote a dynamic forest mosaic, allow natural processes, including gap formation from blowdowns and tree mortality as well as in-place decomposition of fallen coarse woody debris and standing snags, to operate (Spies and Turner 1999). Generally, management should focus on activities that help maintain regeneration of the species associated with this community. The natural maritime influence should be maintained including salt spray. Management efforts should focus on the control or local eradication of invasive exotic plants and the reduction of white-tailed deer densities. Consider deer exclosures or population management, particularly if studies confirm that canopy species recruitment is being affected by heavy browse. Deer have been shown to have negative effects on forest understories (Miller et al. 1992, Augustine and French 1998, Knight 2003) and management efforts should strive to ensure that tree and shrub seedlings are not so heavily browsed that they cannot replace overstory trees.

Fragmentation of coastal forests should be avoided. It is also important to maintain connectivity with adjacent natural communities not only to allow nutrient flow and seed dispersal, but to allow animals to move between them seasonally. Strive to minimize fragmentation of large forest blocks by focusing development on forest edges, minimizing the width of roads and road corridors extending into forests, and designing cluster developments that minimize the spatial extent of the development. Development projects with the least impact on large forests and all the plants and animals living within these forests are those built on brownfields or other previously developed land. These projects have the added benefit of matching sustainable development practices (for example, see: The President's Council on Sustainable Development 1999 final report, US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification process at http://www.usgbc.org/).

Additional inventory is needed to confirm the extent of this community type and to map the least disturbed cores. It would also be useful to map and identify salt spray areas. Inventory and plots are also needed to improve the species lists (both plant and animal) and to better document the natural community.The spread of invasive species also needs to be monitored.

Research is needed to document the successional trend to a mature forest type and the impact of deer browse.

Black-edge Sedge (Carex nigromarginata) Blunt Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum var. venosum)

Willow Oak (Quercus phellos) Silvery Aster (Symphyotrichum concolor var. concolor)