20081743 Ver 1_Year 4 Monitoring Report_20091228

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Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project
Monitoring Report (Year 4)
Wayne County, North Carolina
Monitoring Firm: Michael Baker Engineering, Inc
Monitoring Firm POC: Kevin Tweedy, PE
EEP Project Manager: Guy Pearce
Prepared for: NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program
Date Submitted: December 2009
R E 66"" E I V E D
DEC z w 2009
NC ECOSYSTEM
ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project was designed by Michael Baker Engineering, Inc.
formerly Buck Engineering, and constructed by River Works, Inc. The goals and objectives of this
project were as follows:
■ Restore 52 acres of riparian buffer along Nahunta Swamp and eleven of its tributaries
■ Enhance 4 acres of riparian buffer
• Restore riparian buffers at least 50 feet in width to areas that historically supported hardwood
forest, bottomland ecosystems
• Restore a "Coastal Plain, Bottomland Hardwood Forest" vegetation community, as described by
Schafale and Weakley (1990).
This report is being submitted to document completion of the Year 4 (2009) monitoring period.
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ....................................................................... ..............................1
1.1 Project Goals and Objectives ........................................................................... ..............................1
1.2 Project Location ............................................................................................... ..............................2
1.3 Project Description ........................................................................................... ..............................2
.4 Construction 5
i
2.0 MONITORING RESULTS — YEAR 4 (2009) DATA .......................................... ..............................7
i2.1 Vegetation ........................................................................................................ ..............................7
2.2 Areas of Concern .............................................................................................. ..............................8
3.0 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ ..............................8
Tables and Figures
Table 1 Background Information ............................................................................ ..............................1
Table 2 Summary of As -built Lengths and Restoration Approaches ...................... ..............................5
Table 3 Initial Planting Species for Ballance Buffer Restoration ........................... ..............................6
Table 4 Density of Vegetation Sampling Plots ...................................................... ..............................7
Figure1 Project Vicinity Map .................................................................................. ..............................3
Figure 2 Hydrography and Restoration Plan ............................................................ ..............................4
Appendices
Appendix 1 As -built Plan Sheets
Appendix 2 Photo Log
Appendix 3 Individual Quadrant Data
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Ballance properties border approximately 5,000 linear feet (LF) of the northern bank of Nahunta
Swamp. Nahunta Swamp flows in a general west -to -east direction along and through the property
boundaries. There are approximately 11,826 LF of streams and ditches within the 56 acres of the
conservation easement. The properties are bounded to the south by Nahunta Swamp and to the west, east,
and north by adjacent landowners.
The Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project ( "Site ") is part of a privately -owned farm that is
used primarily for row crop agricultural, hog production, and pasture. The streams on the Site were
channelized, and riparian vegetation had been cleared in the field areas such that cattle grazing pastures
and row crops extended up to the top of the stream banks. Drainage ditches were excavated in parts of
the Site to provide additional drainage for agricultural production.
A summary of the project background information is provided in Table 1.
Table 1.
Background Information
Project
Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project
Designer
Michael Baker Engineering, Inc.
8000 Regency Parkway, Cary, NC, 27518
(919) 463 -5488
Contractor
River Works, Inc.
Project County
Wayne County
Directions to Project Site
Travel on US -64 E / US -264 E. toward Wilson / Rocky Mount. Merge onto US -264
E toward NC -97 / Wilson / Greenville. Merge onto US -301 N. Turn Right onto US-
117. Travel US -222 East. Turn right onto Benton Pond Road. Site is on the right.
USGS Hydro Unit
03020203 - 060020
NCDWQ Sub -basin
03 -04 -07
Project Length /Acres
N/A
1 56 Acres
Restoration Approach
Enhance riparian functions to 4 acres along Nahunta Swamp
Restore riparian functions to 52 acres along Nahunta Swamp
Date of Completion
Planting completed on February 15, 2006; Fencing completed on March 10, 2006.
Monitoring Dates
Seasonally through each growing season for 5 years
1.1 Project Goals and Objectives
This riparian buffer restoration project provides numerous ecological benefits within the Neuse River
basin. While many of these ecological benefits are limited to the project area, others, such as pollutant
removal and improved aquatic and terrestrial habitat, have more far - reaching effects. Expected
improvements to water quality, hydrology, and habitat are as follows:
• Nutrient removal
• Increased dissolved oxygen concentrations
• Improved stream bank stability
• Reduced water temperature by increasing shading
• Restoration of terrestrial habitat
• Improved aesthetics.
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

1:2 Project Location
The Ballance site is located in northeast Wayne County, near the Wayne- Greene - Wilson county lines.
The site is approximately 3.0 miles east of the Town of Fremont, and 9.0 miles northeast of the City of
Goldsboro, and west of the intersection of NC 222 and NC 111 in Wayne County, North Carolina (Figure
1).
1.3 Project Description
Prior to restoration, land use within the Site consisted of pastureland for cattle grazing, hog production,
and row crop agricultural production. The majority of the floodplain vegetation had been removed and
fields had been created for crop production and pastureland. The landowner currently has an active hog
operation on the Site. Prior to restoration, the landowner used these fields for the spray application of
swine lagoon effluent. Effluent was spread across the field areas in close proximity to the ditches and
streams on the site. The landowner has now discontinued the use of these fields for application of
effluent and the buffer areas have been placed under a conservation easement.
For analysis and design purposes, the on -site streams were divided into eleven reaches. The reach
locations are shown in Figure 2. The reaches were numbered sequentially, moving from west to east,
with unnamed tributaries carrying a "UT" designation.
Eleven UTs to Nahunta Swamp (UT1 through UT1 1) drain the majority of the Site. Nahunta Swamp lies
along the southern boundary of the Site and flows in a general west -to -east direction along the property
boundaries. In most areas, only herbaceous species were present along the stream and ditch banks, and
fields were maintained to the top of the streambanks. The lack of riparian vegetation left the channelized
systems open to sunlight and without adequate filtration of agricultural runoff and nutrient loading.
Along reaches that were not regularly maintained, woody riparian vegetation was sparse, existing only in
narrow buffer widths adjacent to the channels. As a result, filamentous algae and other aquatic plants
were common in the channels.
Nahunta Swamp and the smaller channels throughout the Site originate in rural and agricultural areas.
These areas are considered to be at least intermittent channels. The stream lengths of Nahunta Swamp
and the UTs, with restoration approaches are provided in Table 2. The primary objective of the restoration
was to enhance areas of existing riparian buffer vegetation and to reforest the cleared floodplain with
native species along Nahunta Swamp and eleven UTs within the conservation easement. Primary
activities within the Site are designed to preserve plant community assemblages and to enhance and
restore native floodplain vegetation through site preparation and subsequent plantings.
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

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Figure 1. Project Vicinity Map
Ballance Site
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Table 2.
Summary of As -built Lengths and Restoration Approaches
Nahunta Swamp
5,070
Riparian planting
UT1
550
Riparian planting
UT2
1,053
Riparian planting
UT3
1,339
Riparian planting
UT4
591
Riparian planting
UT5
1,077
Riparian planting
UT6
47
Riparian planting
UT7
402
Riparian planting
UT8
814
Riparian planting
UT9
107
Riparian planting
UT10
410
Riparian planting
UT11
366
Riparian planting
1.4 Construction
Prior land use and clearing had already removed the majority of the native floodplain vegetative
communities along Nahunta Swamp and within the associated floodplain. However, prior to plant
community restoration, remaining invasive vegetation such as privet (Ligustrum sinense), which existed
in small quantities along the stream banks, was cleared by bush - hogging, mowing and cutting with bush
axes and saws. Cleared areas were then disked to further prepare the soil for planting. Care was taken to
avoid exposure of surficial soils.
Bare -root seedlings of tree species were planted at a density of 680 stems per acre on 8 -foot centers for
buffer restoration areas. To ensure meeting vegetation success criteria, enhancement areas were also
planted at 680 stems per acre. Table 3 depicts the total number of stems and percent of species planted.
Planting was performed in February 2006 to allow plants to stabilize during the dormant period and
establish root systems during the spring season. A total number of 36,950 tree seedlings were planted
during restoration activities. One substitution from the proposed species took place because Hackberry
(Celtis laevigata) seedlings were not available. Overcup Oak (Quercus lyrata) was planted as a
substitute. This species is appropriate for the locale, site conditions, and target community. Overcup Oak
comprised 10 percent of the overall planting. This further necessitated a reduction in laurel oak (Quercus
laurifolia) from the originally proposed 10 percent composition to a 5 percent composition.
Certain opportunistic species that may dominate the early successional forests within bottomland
hardwood forests have been excluded from riparian buffer restoration efforts with the anticipation that
natural regeneration will occur from existing local species. Opportunistic species consist primarily of red
maple (Acer rubrum), box elder (Acer negundo), and sweet -gum (Liquidambar styraciva).
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

Table 3.
Initial Planting Species for Ballance Buffer Restoration
Nyssa sylvatica var bii fora
Swamp Black Gum
15%
5,550
Quercus phellos
Willow oak
10%
3,700
Morays rubra
Red mulberry
5%
1,850
Platanus occidentalis
Sycamore
15%
5,550
Quercus laurifloia
Laurel oak
5%
1,850
Quercus michauxii
Swamp Chestnut oak
5%
1,850
Quercus falcata var. pogodifolia
Cherrybark oak
5%
1,850
Quercus lyrata
Overcup oak
10%
3,700
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Green Ash
20%
7,350
Asimina triloba
Paw Paw
10%
3,700
TOTAL
100%
36,950
* Ulmus American
American Elm
N/A
N/A
Notes: 1. Planting density for restoration, as well as enhancement, was 680 trees per acre.
* Additional species of Ulmus America planted in March 2009 during Site replanting
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)
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2.0 MONITORING RESULTS — YEAR 4 (2009) DATA
The five -year monitoring plan for the Site includes criteria to evaluate the success of the vegetation
components of the project. The specific locations of vegetation plots are shown on the As -built drawing
sheets included in Appendix 1. Two photo point stations are located at each of the six vegetation plots.
The first photo point is for the entire vegetation plot and the second photo point is for the herbaceous plot
at the corner of each quadrant. Site photographs of all photo points are included in Appendix 2.
2.1 Vegetation
The success of this buffer restoration project is dependent upon active planting of preferred canopy
species and volunteer regeneration of the native plant community. In order to determine if the success
criteria have been met, vegetation monitoring quadrants were installed across the Site, as directed by
North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program ( NCEEP) monitoring guidance. Six vegetation
monitoring plots were installed on the Site. The number of quadrants required was based on the
species /area curve method, as per NCEEP guidelines. The sizes of individual quadrants are 100 square
meters for woody tree species and 1 square meter for herbaceous vegetation. No plots were established
for shrubs since all planted species were considered tree species. At the end of the growing season,
species composition, density, and survival are evaluated each year.
Table 4.
Density of Vegetation Plots
Counted Stems er Plot
Stems per Acre extra olated)
Sampling
Plot No.
Initial
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Initial
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year
4*
1
13
13
13
13
13
526
526
526
526
526
2
16
15
15
14
15
640
607
607
567
607
3
15
11
11
11
11
600
445
445
445
445
4
13
10
7
5
10
520
405
283
202
405
5
16
16
15
15
15
640
647
607
607
607
6
11
10
10
9
9
440
405
405
364
364
Total
84
75
71
67
v 73
561
506
479
452
492
* For Year 4, counts in plot #2 were higher than in Year 3 because tree 7 in plot #2 was not found during Year
3. Plot #4 stems increased due to supplemental plantings that were added during March 2009.
The density within each of the vegetation monitoring plots for Year 4 is presented in Table 4. The initial
density of planted bare root stems, based on the data from the six monitoring plots, was 561 stems per
acre. The average density of bare root stems for monitoring Year 4 is 492 stems per acre.
The locations of the vegetation plots are shown on the as -built plan sheets. Individual quadrant data that
includes diameter, height, density and herbaceous coverage quantities are provided in Appendix 3.
MICHAEL BAKER ENGINEERING, INC BALLANCE SITE BUFFER, 2009 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 4)

2.2 Areas of Concern
Maintenance requirements vary from site to site and are generally driven by the following conditions:
• Trees planted during wet weather may have difficulty rooting
• Extreme hot, cold, wet, or dry weather during and after construction can limit vegetation growth,
particularly temporary and permanent seed
• The presence and aggressiveness of invasive species can affect the extent to which a native buffer can
be established
• The larvae of herbivorous insects can destroy the trees; so infestations can be extremely damaging.
Monitoring plot 4 had a lower than expected survivability rate for Year 3. The Year 3 density for Plot 4
was 202 stems per acre, which is below the success criteria of 320 stems per acre after Year 3.
Supplemental planting in this area of 302 stems per acre was completed on March 16, 2009, using species
that were approved as part of the restoration plan. One supplementary species, American elm (Ulmats
americana) was also planted at this time in the plot 4 area. After replanting, it was determined that
approximately 5.2 acres in the vicinity of the vegetation plot 4 had been replanted. The as -built species
and the 2009 supplementary species are presented in Table 3.
This entire Site was also inspected for stem survivability and density in May 2009. After inspection it
was determined that several areas on the Site were experiencing very low stems counts in areas outside of
the monitored vegetation plots. No significant volunteer species were noted within these areas and they
are scheduled to be replanted with 1,000 additional containerized plants during winter 2009 -2010.
Densities in these areas will be determined after replanting has occurred.
Volunteer species noted during Year 4 monitoring were mainly observed on the eastern portion of the
Site. These species were red maple (Acer rubrum) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and were
noted in vegetation plots 1 and 2 (these stems were not included in the counts presented in Table 4). The
volunteers in these plots do not seem to pose a threat to the planted stems.
There are areas of privet established along the banks of Nahunta Swamp within the project area. To avoid
future impacts to planted vegetation from privet, the areas of privet on the site will be treated during early
spring 2010 to reduce existing stands and provide more time for the planted species to reach heights that
will overtop any future privet.
In the winter of 2009/2010 two sections of farm road that cross the conservation easement will be
relocated to better protect the restored buffer areas and better match the alignments in the conservation
easement documents. One section of farm road will be located outside the conservation easement, so that
it no longer crosses the easement. The other section of road will be relocated away from UT8 to provide
an adequate buffer between the road and UT8. This work will be completed prior to the 2010 growing
season, and any planted areas disturbed (less than 0.5 acres) will be replanted prior to the beginning of the
growing season.
3.0 REFERENCES
Schafale, M.P. and A.S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina:
Third Approximation. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Division of Parks and
Recreation, N.C. Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources. Raleigh, North
Carolina.

APPENDIX 1
AS -BUILT PLAN SHEETS

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APPENDIX 2
PHOTO LOG

1. Veg Plot 1 Herbaceous Plot.
2. Veg Plot 1 NW Looking SE.
3. Veg Plot 2 Herbaceous Plot.
4. Veg Plot 2 NW Looking SE.
5. Veg Plot 3 Herbaceous Plot.
6. Veg Plot 3 NW Looking SE.

7. Veg Plot 4 Herbaceous Plot.
8. Veg Plot 4 NW Looking SE.
9. Veg Plot 5 Herbaceous Plot.
10. Veg Plot 5 N W Looking SE.
11. Veg Plot 6 Herbaceous Plot.
12. Veg Plot 6 NW Looking SE.

APPENDIX 3
INDIVIDUAL QUADRANT DATA

YEAR 4 Monitoring Ballance Site
Date: 9/21/2009
Baker Project # 108353
Monitored By: D. Huneycutt, M. Wight

I

Species Code
Common Name
Scientific Name
NS
Swamp Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica varbiflora
QP
Willow Oak
Quercus phellos
MR
Red Mulberry
Morus rubra
PO
Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
QH
Laurel Oak
Quercus laurifolia
QM
Swamp Chestnut Oak
Quercus michauxii
QF
Cherrybark Oak
Quercus falcata var. pogodifolia
QL
Overcup Oak
Quercus lyrata
FP
Green Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
*UA
"Amercian Elm
"Ulmus americana
*additional species planted in February 2009 to increase count #s in the vincinity of Plot 4