. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) . Fifteen percent of the land in coastal Maine has been developed as real estate or has been or is used presently for farming. Of this, agricultural lands (croplands, pasture land, and blueberry barrens) presently comprise about 4% of the coastal area. Developed lands (urban, suburban, and industrial lands, parks, roads, and utility rights-of-way) make up 9%, and oldfields (abandoned agricultural lands usually in the process of reverting to forests) make up 2%. Agricultural and developed lands are highly value
. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) . Fifteen percent of the land in coastal Maine has been developed as real estate or has been or is used presently for farming. Of this, agricultural lands (croplands, pasture land, and blueberry barrens) presently comprise about 4% of the coastal area. Developed lands (urban, suburban, and industrial lands, parks, roads, and utility rights-of-way) make up 9%, and oldfields (abandoned agricultural lands usually in the process of reverting to forests) make up 2%. Agricultural and developed lands are highly valued lands. They are also natural environments that have been altered extremely and are a source of pollutants (agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastes) in the ecosystem. Oldfields, on the other hand, are nature's attempt to reestablish climax vegetation in a denuded area. The principal value of oldfields is wildlife habitat. The natural mosaic of cover types resulting from vegetative succession on oldfields provides valuable "edge" habitats that support an abundance of wildlife, including many game species (, deer). Revegetation of oldfields helps to stabilize the hydrological and biogeochemical cycles of the area and benefits the riverine system. However, oldfields may be reclaimed easily for agriculture or industrial and urban development. This chapter discusses separately the three types of land use, their contributions and special problems in the coastal area, and some functional aspects of their plant and animal life in the ecosystem. Management considerations and data gaps also are reviewed at the end. Common names of species are used except where accepted common names do not exist. Taxonomic names of all species mentioned are given in the appendix to chapter 1. AGRICULTURAL LANDS Farmland along the coast of Maine is used for tilled crops (hay, potatoes, corn, and vegetables) and for orchards, pasture, and blueberry culture. Farming reached its peak in
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