20081743 Ver 1_Year 2 Monitoring Report_20080527

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Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project
Monitoring Report (Year 2)
Wayne County, North Carolina

Monitoring Firm: Baker Engineering NY, Inc
Monitoring Firm POC: Kevin Tweedy, PE
EEP Project Manager: Guy Pearce
Prepared for: NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program
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Report Prepared By: Baker Engineering NY, Inc. gT?.ANDSANDSTORMQUAUI ?rdCH
8000 Regency Parkway, Suite 200
Cary, NC 27518
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Date Submitted: November 2007 N ® 200?
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Ballance Site Riparian Buffer Restoration Project was designed by Baker Engineering and
constructed by Riverworks, 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 2 monitoring.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .....................................................................................................1
1.1 Project Goals and Objectives .........................................................................................................1
1.2 Project Location .............................................................................................................................2
1.3 Project Description .........................................................................................................................2
1.4 Construction ...................................................................................................................................5
2.0 Monitoring Results - Year 2 (2007) Data ...........................................................................................7
2.1 Vegetation ......................................................................................................................................7
2.2 Areas of Concern ............................................................................................................................7
Tables and Figures
Table 1 Background Information .....................................................................................................1
Table 2 Summary of As-built Lengths and Restoration Approaches ...............................................5
Table 3 Planting Species for Ballance Buffer Restoration ...............................................................6
Table 4 Initial Density, Year 1 and Year 2 Monitoring of Trees for the Vegetation Sampling
Plots ...................................................................................................................................7
Figure 1 Project Vicinity Map ...........................................................................................................3
Figure 2 Hydrography and Restoration Plan .....................................................................................4
Appendices
Appendix 1 As-built Plan Sheets
Appendix 2 Photo Log
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)

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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 site is part of a privately-owned farm that is used primarily for row crop agricultural, hog production,
and pasture. The streams on the project 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 Baker Engineering NY, Inc.
8000 Regency Parkway, Cary, NC, 27518
[phone]
Contractor Riverworks, 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 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 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.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
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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 has an active hog operation
on site and prior to restoration, 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 UTI 1) drain the majority of the project site. Nahunta
Swamp lies along the southern boundary of the Ballance 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 through the restoration site originate in rural areas and 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.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
Project Site
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Figure 1. Project Vicinity Map
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Feet Hydrography and Restoration Plan
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Table 2.
Summary of As-built Lengths and Restoration Approaches
Streani Designation Project Stream Length (LF) Restoration Approach
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
UTI1 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 a bush
axe 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 styraciua).

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BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
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Table 3.
Planting Species for Ballance Buffer Restoration
Scientific Name Common Name Pei-cent Number of Species
Nyssa sylvatica var Mora Swamp Black Gum 15% 5,550
Quercus phellos Willow oak 10% 3,700
Morus 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
Notes: 1. Planting density for restoration, as well as enhancement, was 680 trees per acre.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)

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2.0 MONITORING RESULTS - YEAR 2 (2007) DATA
The five-year monitoring plan for the Ballance 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. Photo points are located at each of the vegetation plots. Site
photographs 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 restoration 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.
The density within each of the vegetation monitoring plots for Year 2 is given in Table 4. The average
density of planted bare root stems, based on the data from the six monitoring plots, is 560 stems per acre.
The average density of bare root stems for monitoring Year 2 is 506 stems per acre. The locations of the
vegetation plots are shown on the as-built plan sheets.
Table 4.
Initial Density, Year 1 and Year 2 Monitoring of Trees for the Vegetation Sampling Plots.
Sampling Plot No. Counted Stems per Plot Stems per Acre (extrapol
Initial Year I Year 2 Initial Year I
1 13 13 13 526 526

ated)
Year 2
526
2 16 15 15 640 607 607
3 15 11 11 600 445 445
4 13 10 7 520 405 283
5 16 16 15 640 647 607
6 11 10 10 440 405 405
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.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
One monitoring plot had a lower than expected survivability rate for Year 2. The density for Plot 4 was
283 stems per acre. This plot will be monitored closely during the 2008 growing season to determine if
some trees which were recorded as dead were actually green at the base and will re-sprout. The
prevalence of volunteer species will also be assessed to determine if natural recolonization is
compensating for lower planted stem densities.
In the future privet may become a concern due to its former presence along lengths of stream channel
adjacent to the restoration areas. Rivercane and morning glory may also prove problematic as they may
hinder growth of some of the trees due to competition. These potential concerns will be monitored as the
project progresses and matures.
BAKER ENGINEERING NY, INC. BALLANCE SITE BUFFER 2007 MONITORING REPORT (YEAR 2)
APPENDIX I
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.
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9. Veg Plot 5 Herbaceous Plot.
11. Veg Plot 6 Herbaceous Plot.
10. Veg Plot 5 NW Looking SE.

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12. Veg Plot 6 NW Looking SE.
7. Veg Plot 4 Herbaceous Plot.
8. Veg Plot 4 NW Looking SE.