HomeMy WebLinkAbout20080511 Ver 2_Year 1 Monitoring Report_20131203
First Annual Monitoring Report
LaGrange Bank Parcel
Greene Environmental Services, LLC
Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank
DWQ#: 08-0511v2
Year 2013
Submitted to: Katie Merritt
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Resources –Water Quality Programs
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 Phone: (919) 807-6371; Fax: (919) 8076494
Submitted by:Jeff Becker
1004 Glencastle Way
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: (919) 215-3899; Fax: (919) 859-0911
First Annual Monitoring Report
LaGrange Bank Parcel
Greene Environmental Services, LLC
Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank
DWQ#: 08-0511v2Year 2013
Introduction and Background
Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES) of Snow Hill, North Carolinaadded the LaGrange
site to the GES Neuse River Basin Umbrella Mitigation Bank. The LaGrange site (bank parcel)
is located at the southwest intersection of NC 903 and Old Jason Road (SR 1501), north of
LaGrange, in Lenoir County, North Carolina (Figures1and 2). The latitude/longitude
coordinates of the site are approximately 77°44.315 W and 35°20.588N. The purpose of the
nutrient mitigation bank is to improve water quality within the Neuse River Basin by reducing
nutrient and sediment inputs to the watershed and provide off-site mitigation for development
requiring nutrient offsets.
The bank parcel is located within the Middle Neuse Watershed (HUC: 03020202). The site
drains to Meeting House Branch (Stream Index # 27-72-3), which drains into Bear Creek
(Stream Index # 27-72-(0.1)), a major tributary to the Neuse River. According to the NC
Division of Water Quality Basinwide Information Management System, Meeting House Branch
is classified as C; Sw, NSW.
The bank parcel is approximately 3.39acres, including 0.87acres of riparian buffer and 2.52
acres of nutrient offset buffer restoration (Figures 3 and 4).This bank parcel was established
under the terms and conditions of the GES Neuse River Basin Umbrella Mitigation Bank made
and entered into by Mr. Bobby Ham of Greene Environmental Services, LLC, acting as the Bank
Sponsor and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources –Division
of Water Quality which was signed by the Division Director on October 3, 2008.
The bank parcel was previous agricultural cropland and was planted with character species
during March of 2010. During the planting process, Eric Kulz and Lia Gilleski of DWQ visited
the site and determined that it was suitable for nutrient offset mitigation.
Monitoring and Results for Year 2012
As specified in the LaGrange Bank Parcel Development Package (BPDP), this report represents
the first year of vegetative monitoring. The BPDP requires the submission of an annual
monitoring report each of five successive years.
The LaGrange parcel was initially planted with character trees in 2010 and 2011 at a rate of 413
seedlings per acre (Table 1).A supplemental planting was done in 2012 at a rate of 108seedlings
per acre. Thus prior to the submission of this first annual monitoring report a total of 521
seedlingsper acre had been planted on the3.39-acreparcel.
In each of the two monitoring plotsin the LaGrange Parcel, tree stemswere recorded by species
in October 2013according to Carolina Vegetation Survey sampling protocols.Plot locations are
mapped in Figure 5. Vegetation plot photo points were located at the northwestern corner of the
plots (Figure 6).
During the October 2013monitoring effort, a total of 45trees representingninespecies were
recorded in the two monitoring plots(Table 2). The total average density was 911trees per acre.
Thirty-twoof the 45trees within the plots were from seedlings planted by GES; thusaverage
planted seedling density was 648 treesper acre(Table 3).Seventy-one percent of the trees were
plantedspecies;bald cypress and river birch accounted for approximately half of the planted
seedlings with the remainder including black gum, sycamore, swamp chestnut oak and
cherrybark oak (Table 4).Red maple, loblolly pine and black oak became established via natural
colonization. For total trees as well as planted treesthe 320 trees per acre success criterion was
exceeded.
Overall Condition, Maintenance and Supplemental Plantings
Vegetation establishment and growth has been good at the LaGrange parcel. Growing
conditions, e.g, adequate rainfall, length of growing season and fertile soils, have been
advantageous since the initial plantings were undertaken. The height of some seedlings,
especially river birch, planted in 2010, now exceeds 3 m with diameters (dbh) of 8-10 cm. Other
species exhibit slower growth but are performing as expected. Browsing by deer has been
moderately problematic for seedlings in exposed areas and especially problematic for green ash
seedlings. There has been some evidence of depredation by rabbits and possibly beavers and
other rodents. Annual, herbaceous weed growth has been excessive; this would expectedly result
in above-ground and below-ground competition with planted seedlings. However,the weeds
likely afford the seedlings some greater advantage by protecting them from browsing deer. In an
effort to control rabbit and rodent populations, two 15-foot tall hawkperches were installed on
the site.
No remedial or supplemental planting is required for the 2014growing season. The next
monitoring effort will be in October 2014.
Table 1. LaGrange Tract. Approximate number of seedlings planted 2010, 2011 and 2012 on
3.39 acre tractprior to the first annual monitoring effort.Year 2013Annual Report, Greene
Environmental Services, LLC.
Planted
Common Planted January
SpeciesFebruary/MarchTotals
Name2012
2010 and 2011
Betula nigraRiver birch50400450
Diospyros
Persimmon25025
virginiana
Fraxinus
Green ash0200200
pennsylvanica
Liriodendron
Yellow poplar20020
tulipifera
230
Nyssa sylvaticaBlackgum30200
Platanus
Sycamore1200120
occidentalis
White oak25025
Quercus alba
Quercus laevisTurkey oak25025
Cherrybark
0200200
Quercus pagodaoak
Quercus
Live oak45045
virginiana
Taxodium
425
Bald cypress25400
distichum
Total Seedlings Planted36514001765
Average Number Seedlings
108413521
Planted per Acre
2
Table 2.Stem densityfor all tree speciesin 100 mmonitoring plots at LaGrange Parcel.Year
2013Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC.
Plot LAG-1Plot LAG-2TractAverages
Common
Species
Number Stems Number Stems Number Stems
Name
Stemsper acreStemsper acreStemsper acre
Acer rubrumRed maple416262435202
Betula nigraRiver birch28152023.5142
Nyssa
Black gum28141623121
biflora
Pinus taedaLoblolly pine00281140
Platanus
Sycamore281281281
occidentalis
Quercus Swamp
140140140
michauxiichestnut oak
Quercus Cherrybark
28100140
oak
pagoda
Quercus
Black oak001400.520
velutina
Taxodium
Bald cypress832431215.5223
distichum
Totals for All Species218502497222.5911
2
Table 3.Stem density for planted tree species in 100 mmonitoring plots at LaGrange Parcel.
Year 2013Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC.
Plot LAG-1Plot LAG-2TractAverages
Common
Species
Number Stems Number Stems Number Stems
Name
Stemsper acreStemsper acreStemsper acre
Betula nigraRiver birch28152023.5142
Nyssa
Black gum28141623121
biflora
Platanus
Sycamore281281281
occidentalis
Quercus Swamp
140140140
michauxiichestnut oak
Cherrybark
Quercus
28100140
pagodaoak
Taxodium
Bald cypress832431215.5223
distichum
Totals for All Species176881560716648
2
Table 4. Relative density of species in 100 mmonitoring plots in LaGrange Parcel.2013Annual
Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC.
Percent of Percent of
SpeciesCommon nameTotal Stems Planted Stems
by Speciesby Species
Acer rubrumRed maple22NA
Betula nigraRiver birch1622
Black gum1319
Nyssa biflora
Loblolly pine4NA
Pinus taeda
Platanus Sycamore
913
occidentalis
Quercus Swamp chestnut
46
michauxiioak
Quercus pagodaCherrybark oak46
Quercus velutinaBlack oak2NA
Taxodium Bald cypress
2434
distichum
Percent of
planted stems to 71% of Stems are of Planted Species
total stems
LaGrange Site
3.5 mi
Figure 1 – Vicinity Map
Bank Parcel
Location
N.T.S
Figure 2 – USGS Topographic Map
La Grange Bank
Parcel
Conservation
Easement
Boundary
Figure 3 – Aerial Map
Neuse Buffer Area
Nutrient Offset Area
N.T.S.
Neuse Buffer Area: 37,939.70 sq. ft. (0.87 acres)
Nutrient Offset Area: 109,581.98 sq. ft. (2.52 acres)
Figure 4 – Survey Excerpt
Figure 5. Monitoring Plot Locations
Monitoring Plot LAG-1
Monitoring Plot LAG-2
Figure 6. Monitoring Plot Photographs