20120107 Ver 1_Adaptive Management Plan_20180102

P AND U LANDS MITIGATION SITE
PHASE 2 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN
PCS PHOSPHATE COMPANY, INC.
BEAUFORT COUNTY, NC
Prepared by:
CZR Incorporated
for
PCS Phosphate Company, Inc.
January 2018

P AND U LANDS MITIGATION SITE
PHASE 2 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN
PCS PHOSPHATE COMPANY, INC.
BEAUFORT COUNTY, NC
1.0 HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION
In February 2013 after site preparation, approximately 738 acres of the Phase 2 portion of the
PCS Phosphate restoration of the 3,667-acre P and U Lands was planted with wetland trees and
shrubs at a density of 436 stems per acre except for 175 acres planted at 538 stems per acre.
Figure I is a vicinity map and Figure 2 shows the planting plan with locations of wells and
vegetation monitoring plots. The 2014 As Built report (CZR 2014a) and subsequent annual
reports documented the results of site preparation, planting and monitoring of vegetation and
hydrology from 2013-2017 (CZR 2014b, CZR 2015, CZR 2016, CZR 2017a, and CZR2017b)
and were submitted to US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and NC Division of Water
Quality (now NC Division of Water Resources [NCDWR]).
At nursery delivery on 4 February 2013, small stem size (3 inches) of some species was noted,
planting ceased with a 2.5-inch rainfall on 8 February, and planters returned on 17 February to
plant Zone 3. From 8 to 17 February, onsite refrigerated trucks with seedlings were checked
(temperature and fuel). Seedlings in tublings outside were saturated on 8 February and stayed so
with rainfall over the following days and were also monitored. At the time the planted stems
were staked in the monitoring plots, water depths in portions of some plots were such that 25 or
more of the expected stems were not located in the plots and those stems were suspected to be
under water. Average overall stem density at planting was —480 but density in plots after tagging
was completed was 366.
Rainfall and wetland hydroperiods for each well and the entire site by hydroperiod ranges were
presented and discussed in each annual report submitted to regulatory agencies. As the interior
and roadside plugs increased water storage in the first two to three years, it became apparent that
hydroperiods within Zone 5 (hardwood flat) were longer than the LiDAR elevations used to
select species for the zone indicated were likely and that hydroperiods elsewhere on the site were
also thought to challenge the tolerances for flooding of young stems of some species particularly
laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), willow oak (Q. phellos), ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana), and
unidentified oaks. Laurel oak and willow oak together represented up to 25 percent of the two
largest planting zones so their poor survival had a larger effect than did ironwood which was
planted at a lower percentage.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 1 PCs Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

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VICINITY MAP
P LANDS PHASE
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SITE LOCATION
P and U LANDS
PCS PHOSPHATE COMPANY, INC.
SOURCE'
SCALE: AS SHOWN
APPROVED BY:
DRAWN BY: BFG/TLJ
PORPCW OF ME BWND PROVIDED BY: ROBERT M, CHXES,
DATE: O1 09 18
FILE: P-V NDS-VIC_
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Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 2 PCS Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

93
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SOURCE:
PORTIONS OF THE BOUNDARY PR0MDE0 eY; ROBERT M. CHILES.
NEW BERN, NORTH CANOUKk JOB #2009098, DATED: 11/19/200B
AND 02/02/2010 AND BEAUFORT COUNTY GIS DATA WEBSRE
WWW.COSEAUFORrNC.US, BEAUFORT COUNTY PARCEL DATA SHAPEFILIES,
HAD 1983 FEET.
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OPEN WATER OR PLUGGED/FILLED DITCH
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® PERIMETER BERM AND PARKING AREAS
r TREE SAMPLING PLOT
0 WELL LOCATION AND TREE MONITORING PLOT
(WELLS TO MONITOR LATERAL DRAINAGE EFFECT MAY
NOT HAVE A TREE PLOT. LOCATIONS ARE
APPROXIMATE,)
AREAS PLANTED IN PHASE 2:
ZONE 2 HEADWATER FOREST
[. ZONE 3 NON-RIVERINE SWAMP FOREST
ZONE 5 HARDWOOD FLAT 1
MONITORING LOCATIONS
P AND U LANDS PHASE 2
PCS PHOSPHATE COMPANY, INC.
AS SHOWN APPROVED BY: DRAWN BY: TLJ
01/09/18 FILE: P_LANDS WELL_PH2 AMP
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Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 3 PCS Phosphate Company, Adaptive Management Plan 9 p p y, Inc.
January 2018

2.0 SUMMARY OF MONITORING
2.1 Hydrology
As shown in Table 8a of CZR 2017b, all 44 wells had wetland hydroperiods during normal
rainfall conditions each year from 2013 through mid-2017. Hydroperiods at the seven control
wells in Bay City Farm and Rodman (Figure 6a in CZR 2013 and Figure 7 in CZR 2014, CZR
2015, CZR 2016, and CZR2017b) were in close agreement with hydrology of the Phase 2 wells.
As was true for Phase 1, the well pairs used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the keyway to
remove the ditch effect from the perimeter canal (PUMs 25/26 in Phase 1 and PUMs 106/107 in
Phase 2) both had wetland hydroperiods successfully restored. The keyway was described in the
as -built and constructed into the lower 1 foot of the berm to interrupt the drainage effect from the
adjacent canal.
2.2 Planted and Volunteer Woody Wetland Vegetation
The Year 5 vegetation survey of planted and volunteer stems showed 214 stems per acre of
unquestionably alive planted large and small tree stems, 222 stems per acre when volunteer
stems of those planted species were added, and 234 stems per acre when volunteer pond pine
(Pinus serotina), black willow (Salbc nigra), titi (Cyrilla racemiflora), sweet bay (Magnolia
virginiana), red bay (Persea borbonia), and water oak (Quercus nigra) stems were added
(Tables 4, 5, and 6 in CZR 2017b).
3.0 AGENCY COORDINATION
In August of Year 4, PCS and CZR met with NCDWR and USACE representatives to discuss
the low planted stem survival, efforts to identify likely causes of mortality, and the potential
replant of Phase 2 in spring of 2017. It was decided instead to complete the 2017 Year 5 data
collection and analysis by summer of 2017 and, based on results of Year 5 data and analyses,
develop a remedial plan for a proposed 2018 replant. Agencies, PCS, and CZR met again to
discuss the various potential remedial actions or scenarios in August 2017.
4.0 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL CAUSES OF POOR STEM SURVIVAL
The USACE Engineering Resource and Development Center (ERDC) describes adaptive
management as "doing while learning in face of uncertain outcomes" and "flexible decision
making adjusted in face of uncertainties as outcomes of management and events become better
understood." Given the less than ideal planting conditions and the less than expected number of
stems staked soon after planting, it was anticipated that Year 1 data would contain fewer stems
than plan design; however, there was hope that some percentage of the missing stems would be
found in Year 2 (once the shorter stems had grown and once some areas of deeper water present
at planting may have disappeared) and that some percentage of the questionably alive stems
would be counted as alive in the Year 2 survey (the "doing"). However, the survey protocol
dictated that a stem could not be counted dead until its survival status was questionable two
surveys in a row. Therefore, although poor survival was suspected previously, it was Year 3
before survival was accurately determined (the "learning"). Various analyses were then
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 4 PCs Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

conducted to identify the cause of mortality in order to provide more favorable conditions for the
increasingly apparent necessity of a future replant ("flexible decision making").
4.1 Positive Water at Water Level Monitors
In order to understand another aspect of hydrology at the site and a potential cause of poor stem
survival, an analysis of the percentage of each year where water level recorded at the well was
above the soil surface was done for the 49 wells in Phase 2 (48 wells have associated vegetation
plots). Four positive water depth ranges were arbitrarily selected (0 to +3 inches, >+3 to +6
inches, >+6 to +9 inches, and >+9 inches) and the analyses for 2013-2017 for each well are
shown in Figure 3.
This analysis showed that by 2017 (Year 5), 18 of the 49 wells had >50 percent of every year
with positive water, 28 wells had at least the last three years with positive water above 0 for at
least 50 percent of each of those years, and 14 wells were below 50 percent in every year.
When the positive well hydrology was compared to stem survival, it became clear that long
periods of standing water were a likely contributor to mortality but not the sole cause of stem
mortality; some plots with very low percentages of positive water recorded at the well had low
stem survival and some plots with very high percentages of positive water had adequate stem
survival.
4.2 Microtopogrraphic Differences within Selected Plots
To understand variation of hydrology within plots and its potential connection to stem survival,
the next analysis included the selection of I I plots that had either low survival and less positive
water at the well (four plots), or low survival and more positive water at the well (four plots), or
adequate survival with more positive water at the well (three plots). In early March 2016, each
of the 11 0.3-acre plots was walked by CZR biologists, qualitatively divided into 15 equal
sections as the biologists walked the plot, measured positive water depths within each section,
and described the herbaceous components of each section. The results of this one-time exercise
are shown in Table I and demonstrate that on that day, water depths in five of the 11 plots varied
by 10 inches or more and by 6 inches or more in four of the I 1 plots. This exercise verified the
microtopography within these plots and helped show why stem survival in plots was not always
related to the percentages of positive water depths recorded at the water level monitor associated
with the plot.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 5 PCS Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

Figure 3 (concluded).
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PUM101 PUM102
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Figure 3. Phase 2 positive hydrology analysis for all LevelTROLL locations.
100,00%
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■ %of the year with depths r9"
■ %of the year with depths 6.001.9"
■ % of year with depths 3.001-6"
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PUM71
PUM72
PUM73
PUM74
PUM75
PUM16
PUM77
PUM78
PUM79
PUM80

Table 1. Surface hydrology in I I selected Phase 2 vegetation monitoring plots measured in March
2016. Box represents the plot divided into 15 sections where average surface water depth (inches) for
each section is shown. The section with the bold number is the plot comer anchored by the
Leve1TROLL. Dominant vegetation was also noted.
PUM 70 (low survival- wet)
m00
000
000
000
m©�
60% waist high vegetation
Juncus and Scirpus dominant
PUM 108 (low survival -wet)
©0�
�00
'000
o0m
100% Juncus
PUM 75 (lowsurvival-drv)
ma®
©0©I
000
90% chest high Andropogon
debris pile between well/plot
PUM 76 (ok survival -wet)
©�0
00®
©0
000
©00
75% chest high Andropogon
PUM 81 (low survival -wet)
Omm
moo.
mo©
omml
60% waist high vegetation
Juncus and Scirpus dominant
PUM 87 (low survival -dry)
mom
000
©O�I
80% head high Scirpus
PUM 94 (ok survival -wet)
000
0©©
®©0
000
85%Juncus, Scirpus, Rithus
75% head high Scirpus
PUM 93 (lowsurvival-wet)
000
aoo
000
®mo
50% chest high vegetation
Juncus and Scirpus dominant
PUM 61 (lowsurvival-drv)
0©0
0�®
60% chest high vegetation
Scirpus dominant
PUM 90 (low survival-drv)
DRY
2
1
1
1
1
1
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
DRY
100% chest high Andropogon,
Juncus, shrubs
PUM 107 (ok survival -wet)
©00
0©0
chest high vegetation (mainly
Andropogon)
50% of wet sections Scirpus
and Juncus
NOTE: the 1 I selected plots represented various combinations of stem survival and hydrology at Year 4.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 8 PCS Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

5.0 SUSPECTED FACTORS LINKED TO Low STEM SURVIVAL
Various analyses to date point to multiple factors which alone may not have caused problematic
stress and mortality but which in combination contributed to the low stem survival. These factors
likely include at least the following:
• abundant and/or above WETS average or WETS 70th percentile rainfall in the
weeks prior to and just after planting,
• a two -week weather delay in the middle of planting which resulted in remaining
bagged stems and unplanted tublings to be stored onsite longer than anticipated,
• small size of many of the stems at planting (particularly some of the oaks, many
of which were never identified beyond Quercus sp. before they were marked dead
in Year 2),
• many areas of positive water deep enough to completely or partially submerge
stems in those portions of the plots for unknown periods immediately after
planting which allowed some stems to float away prior to staking, some to not be
found during staking, and some to die in the first two years, and
• longer hydroperiods in portions of the site than suggested by LiDAR, especially
in the hardwood flat Zone 5 which was planted with 15 percent laurel oak and 10
percent willow oak, two species less tolerant of long periods of positive water
while young.
6.0 POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS EXAMINED AND REJECTED
Years of herbaceous colonization by a variety of species at the site will be a challenge to the
planters (no bare ground for planting, dense clumping habit of many of the herbaceous species,
and difficulty to orient in areas of vegetation taller than planters), to CZR biologists when they
stake the new stems (difficulty to find stems among the taller herbaceous vegetation or poor
evidence of planter paths which may meander more than usual due to vegetation heights), and to
the new stems themselves from a competition standpoint. Therefore, manipulation of vegetation
or surface water levels where possible to reduce periods of positive water prior to planting and
during the first year were explored; several approaches were considered and then rejected as
described below.
6.1 Mowed Planting Paths
To reduce competition from existing herbaceous vegetation, increase the ease of planting for the
planters, and simplify the staking of the new stems, mowed strips (which would total the
appropriate replant acreage) between and parallel to the filled interior ditches were considered.
This mechanical approach was rejected due to the wetness of the site and inability to maneuver
equipment efficiently in conjunction with overall desire to preserve the 2013 planted stems still
alive.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 9 PCS Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

6.2 Chemical Control of Herbaceous Volunteer Vegetation
American Forest Management performed the chemical controls at the Phase 2 site prior to the
2013 planting and was consulted (field visit, phone, and email) in early 2016 on potential ways
to chemically control the existing herbaceous vegetation prior to a replant without damage to the
planted hardwoods. Helicopter application was not an option as PCS wished to spare the 5-year
old planted hardwood stems still alive at the site. Even with backpack application, which would
help to avoid the planted stems, the available chemicals for herbaceous control which do not also
affect hardwoods are limited. Additionally, there is no effective chemical control for the species
which comprise the majority of the herbaceous vegetation at the site (e.g., species of Juncus and
Carex). It was determined there was no chemical method to remove competitive herbaceous
vegetation and preserve existing planted stems.
6.3 Lowered Inverts of Spillways
With the continued assumption that long periods of positive water was likely responsible for at
least some mortality of some planted stems, another method to reduce excess surface water
storage was considered which included modification of the invert elevation of the three spillways
in the perimeter berm between the northwest corner and eastern boundary. Lowered inverts at
these locations would likely shorten the period of positive water in the vicinity; however, this
approach was also rejected since not all the plots in the vicinity of these spillways are plots with
the lowest survival although several of the wells are among those with the highest and longest
periods of positive hydrology. In addition, each spillway affects directly only the area closest to
it because of the low overall slope and complicated microtopography of the site.
6.4 Redirection of Water from Phase 1 into Perimeter Canal and Removal of Roadside Plugs
Currently, a portion of excess surface water stored in the eastern end of Phase I is delivered into
the eastern end of Phase 2 via small equalizer pipe beneath Small Road. Redirection of this
water into the perimeter canal along Peele Road instead of into Phase 2 was considered as a way
to reduce water stored on the eastern end of the site which may have contributed to poor stem
survival. This redirection would have been permanent.
In conjunction, the temporary removal of the large roadside plugs in the north side of Small
Road was thought to provide the biggest temporary reduction of water level; however, half of the
interior ditches were completely filled and plugged at their southern ends which would not allow
much water to depart the interior of the site. It was decided that the cost to replace all the
LevelTrolls (now at the end of their 5-year life) and to monitor the hydrology during the year the
plugs were absent and after their reinstallation was not warranted for the narrow strip of acres
along Small Road that would likely be dewatered.
7.0 CESSATION OF HYDROLOGY MONITORING AND REQUEST FOR SUCCESS FOR 12 PLOTS
Based on data collected during the first five years and as reported in annual reports and the final
Year 5 summary report submitted to regulatory agencies, wetland hydrology in Phase 2 was
restored at all well locations during normal rainfall periods even without inclusion of the entire
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 10 PCs Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

Year 5 growing season. An updated five-year summary table and graphic depiction of the entire
Year 5 hydrology will be provided to the agencies in early 2018.
Although hydrology data were collected through the growing season of Year 5, no more will be
collected during Year 6 — Year 10. For the 12 vegetation plots where survival of planted stems
and wetland hydrology met or exceeded the Y5 stem density and Y5 wetland hydroperiod
success criteria, PCS will request successful restoration credit for the —180 acres of the site
represented by these 12 plots/wells. Figure 4 shows the monitoring locations and the 12 plots that
had met the vegetation success criterion at Year 5 displayed on hypsometric LiDAR collected
post -construction.
8.0 PROPOSED RESTORATION OF WETLAND VEGETATION
8.1 Seedlings to be Planted
In spring of 2017, 255,000 stems of six species were put on reserve with the Supertree Nursery
(Arborgen). By July, poor germination and other factors modified the order to 238,400 stems
evenly distributed (59,600 stems each) among the four available species with good survival on
the site through Year 5 which are also tolerant of periods of positive water. These four species
include bald cypress (Taxodium diytichum), swamp black gum (Nyssa sylvatica var. bii lora),
water tupelo (N. aquatiea), and overcup oak (Q. lyrata). By October, deer browse had rendered
10,400 swamp black gum stems too short to sell and the shortfall was substituted with 10,400
more bald cypress.
8.2 Constructed Elements
For the proposed 2018 replant of stems in Phase 2, existing constructed elements including the
spillway inverts, the interior ditch plugs, interior ditch fill, small equalizer pipe under Small
Road between Phase I and Phase 2, and roadside plugs will not be modified.
8.2 Spring 2018 Replant
While the four replanted species have among the highest survival percentages at the site, the
2013 planted stems had the benefit of reduced hydroperiods in their first year, a condition that
cannot be duplicated for the 2018 stems. However, while the level of contribution to survival this
benefit may have provided to the original stems is unknown, the reduced benefit has been
factored into the planting density. Expected planting density of the replanted stems is —321 stems
per acre distributed across the entire site (including the —180 acres represented by the 12 plots
which met Year 5 success criteria). The 2018 stems per acre density will likely be somewhat
higher than 321 as some areas are likely to be avoided by the planters due to denseness of
herbaceous vegetation (blackberry thickets, large stands of Juneus or Scirpus spp.) or to areas of
long-standing deeper surface water. In addition, while the debris piles have lost some vertical
stature to decomposition, the stems that would be planted within the debris pile footprint will be
planted elsewhere as they were at the original planting.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 11 PCs Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018

SOORCE
PORTIONS OF NE BOUNDARY PR DED BY: ROBERT M. CHLE%
NEW BERN. NORM CARCLWq JOB #2009096, DATED-. 11/19/20M
AND 02/02/2010 AND BFAUFORT COUNTY G DATA WEBSRE
WWW.CO.BEAUFORT.NC.US, BEAUFORT CW PARCEL DATA 9WPE US,
NAp 19M FEET.
IIDAR PROVIDED BV:
JONAT T. RICNETM NC.. 3A NORINIARE BLVD_ SORE 102
P" REACH GARDENS, FL, 861-630-6700
Adaptive Management Plan

9.0 MONITORING OF 2018 PLANTED STEMS
All new stems in the 36 0.3-acre vegetation plots which did not meet the Year 5 success criterion
will be staked during planting or immediately after. Planting density checks will be performed
by CZR as new stems are staked since the usual rapid density check (central rod/radius circle
count) will be impossible to perform due to thickness of herbaceous vegetation. Unbeknownst to
the planters, at 12 randomly selected existing vegetation plots, a smaller QA/QC plot (50 x 55 ft)
will be marked off one corner of the original plot and all new stems will be flagged and counted.
This QA/QC effort will verify density consistency within the original plots and that they were
not planted with any bias as the plots were replanted. These QA/QC plots will not be monitored
in subsequent years.
All new stems in the 36 plots will be mapped, identified, and tagged in spring 2018 (Year 6) and
survival monitored in fall 2018 and annually in Year 7-Year 10. If unexpected stem mortality
occurs, appropriate remedial action will be approved prior to the end of Year 10. Additionally,
at the fall Year 10 survey, all woody wetland volunteer stems in the plot will also be counted, in
addition to the original planted stems.
10.0 REPORTING
Annual reports on planted stem survival will be submitted to agencies for each year of
monitoring.
11.0 SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR VEGETATION
The vegetation will be deemed successfully restored if at Y10 a minimum of 210 stems per acre
are alive (comprised of at least 190 stems per acre of planted large and small tree species (Yl
planted stems plus Y6 planted stems in 36 plots) in combination with up to 21 stems per acre of
volunteer woody wetland small or large trees in the 36 plots (volunteers comprise no more than
10 percent of 210 total stems). Some appropriate successional volunteer non -planted species
which can count among the 21 volunteer stems would include black willow, pond pine, titi, wax
myrtle (Morelia cerifera), red bay, and sweet bay.
Phase 2 P and U Lands Mitigation Site Page 13 PCs Phosphate Company, Inc.
Adaptive Management Plan January 2018