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Home My WebLink About20080511 Ver 2_Year 1 Monitoring Report_20130221First Annual Monitoring Report LaGrange Bank Parcel Greene Environmental Services, LLC Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank DWQ #: 08- 0511v2 Year 2012 Submitted to: Katie Merritt NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality — Wetlands and Storm Water Branch 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699 -1650 Phone: (919) 807 -6371; Fax: (919) 8076494 GE5 Submitted by: Jeff Becker Hu uc nsw 1004 Glencastle Way Raleigh, NC 27606 Phone: (919) 215 -3899; Fax: (919) 859 -0911 LaGrange Bank Parcel First Annual Monitoring Report - Year 2012 Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC To: Katie Merritt, NC DENR, Division of Water Quality From: Jeff Becker and David Knowles, Greene Environmental Services, LLC Re: Evans Ballahack Bank Parcel Date: February 19, 2013 Ms Merritt: Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES) of Snow Hill, NC is submitting this First Annual Monitoring Report for the 2012 growing season for review by NC DENR- Division of Water Quality staff. The LaGrange Bank Parcel is part of the Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank and is coded: DWQ #: 08- 0511v2. The bank parcel is located within the Middle Neuse Watershed (HUC: 03020202). The 3.39 -acre parcel includes acreage for both riparian buffer and nutrient offset credits. Overall site conditions for this first monitoring year were good and planted seedling density exceeded minimum standards. We regret that this report is being submitted after the December 2012 deadline. You may direct questions to: Jeff Becker (919) 215 -3899 jrbecker@bellsouth.net David Knowles (252) 757 -1978 juncusl@yahoo.com Thank you, David Knowles L L� First Annual Monitoring Report LaGrange Bank Parcel Greene Environmental Services, LLC Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank DWQ #: 08- 0511v2 Year 2012 Submitted to: Katie Merritt NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Quality — Wetlands and Storm Water Branch 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699 -1650 Phone: (919) 807 -6371; Fax: (919) 8076494 GES Submitted by: Jeff Becker wNn iMS Rtl me.'wi Nc nsw 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- 0511v2 Year 2012 Introduction and Background Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES) of Snow Hill, North Carolina added 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 (Figures 1 and 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 mayor 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 39 acres, including 0.87 acres 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 108 seedlings per acre Thus prior to the submission of this first annual monitoring report a total of 521 seedlings per acre had been planted on the 3 39 -acre parcel In each of the two monitoring plots in the LaGrange Parcel, tree stems were recorded by species in October 2012 according 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 2012 monitoring effort, a total of 30 trees representing eleven species were recorded in the two monitoring plots (Table 2) The total average density was 607 trees per acre. Twenty -seven of the 30 trees within the plots were from seedlings planted by GES, thus average planted seedling density was 547 per acre Ninety percent of the trees were planted with two tree species, red maple and red mulberry, established via natural colonization For total trees as well as planted trees the 320 trees per acre success criterion was exceeded. The species with the highest stem density in the monitoring plots were bald cypress accounting for approximately one quarter of the stems present, followed river birch, black gum and sycamore. Overall Condition, Maintenance and Supplemental Plantings Vegetation establishment and growth has been good at the LaGrange parcel Growing conditions, a 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 in 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 hawk perches were installed on the site No remedial or supplemental planting is required for the 2013 growing season The next monitoring effort will be in October 2013 Table 1 LaGrange Tract Approximate number of seedlings planted 2010, 2011 and 2012 on 3 39 acre tract prior to the first annual monitoring effort Year 2012 Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC Species Common Planted Winter Planted Winter Totals Name 2012 2010 and 2011 Betula nigra River birch 50 400 450 Diospyros Persimmon 25 0 25 vir araana Fraxinus Green ash 0 200 200 pennsylvanica Driodendron Yellow poplar 20 0 20 tulipifera Nyssa sylvatica Blackgum 30 200 230 Platanus Sycamore 120 0 120 occidentahs Quercus alba White oak 25 0 25 Quercus laevis Turkey oak 25 0 25 Cherrybark 0 200 200 Quercus pagoda oak Quercus Live oak 45 0 45 virginiana Taxodium Bald cypress 25 400 425 distichum Total Seedlings Planted 365 1400 1765 Average Number Seedlings 108 413 521 Planted per Acre Table 2 Stem density in 100 in monitoring plots at LaGrange Parcel Year 2012 Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC *Acer rubrum, a native species and Morus alba is a non - native species are volunteer species. Plot LAG -1 Plot LAG -2 Tract Avera es Number Stems Number Stems Number Stems Species Common Name Stems per acre Stems per acre Stems per acre *Acer Red 2 81 0 0 1 40 rubrum maple Betula nigra River 2 81 4 162 3 121 birch Driodendron Yellow 0 0 1 40 05 20 tulzpifera poplar *Morus alba Red 0 0 1 40 05 20 m berry Nyssa Black 3 121 2 81 25 101 sylvatica gum Platanus Sycamore y 2 81 3 121 2.5 101 occidentahs Quercus White 2 81 0 0 1 40 alba Oak Swamp Quercus Chestnut 0 0 1 40 0 5 20 machauxia Oak Taxodium Bald 6 243 1 40 3 5 142 distichum Cypress Totals for All Species 17 688 13 526 15 607 Totals for Planted 15 608 12 486 13.5 547 Species Only *Acer rubrum, a native species and Morus alba is a non - native species are volunteer species. Table 3 Average relative density of species in 100 m2 monitoring plots in LaGrange Parcel. 2012 Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services, LLC *Acer rubrum, a native species and Morus alba is a non - native species are volunteer species Common Percent of Percent of Species Total Stems Planted Stems name by Species by Species *Acer rubrum Red maple 7 0 Betula nigra River birch 20 22 Driodendron yellow poplar 3 4 tuli i era *Morus alba Red mulberry 3 0 Nyssa sylvatzca Black gum 17 19 Platanus Sycamore 17 19 occidentalis Quercus alba White Oak 7 7 Quercus Swamp michauxii Chestnut Oak 3 4 Taxodium Bald Cypress 23 26 distichum Percent of planted stems to total 90% of Stems are of Planted Species stems *Acer rubrum, a native species and Morus alba is a non - native species are volunteer species r llr Snew Hill, NPAOV Hill' 903 LaGrange Site Li Grange 903 See (3E Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 IS I Irl Ok" Kinston Regional � Jetport At Stallings Fiell -k 4 X 3.5 mi Figure 1— Vicinity Map I 1 CTE Figure 2 — USGS Topographic Map Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 N.T.S T GE Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 Figure 3 — Aerial Map I i NPS —C ANAL -- `38.42! S 0526'37'W i =j m 37,939.70 sq. ft. t:: I 41 TOTAL AC RES m 3,39 acres I i. by computer HAM STORAGE, LLC G.B. 1597, Pg. 114 i b m P,C . 12, Pg, 99 CI4 I 4;;L t1 N I _ i i 1 a9,5At.98 sq, ft. N I i I N 5522'41'E 58.15' N 5115'42'E 42.8'' S 2300'37'W 117.71' N 7530'29'W 130.57' _ - ^�' �" C Rl1I6 RA^W , u 71' N 6938'55W 124,01' % 5619'05 "W 38.94' N.T.S. FlNeuse Buffer Area: 37,939.70 sq. ft. (0.87 acres) F1 Nutrient Offset Area: 109,581.98 sq. ft. (2.52 acres) (3E Figure 4 — Survey Excerpt Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 _j d, oPlot [-AG-1 r: .f • • . r� 11-nage, U S. Geological Google Survey Figure 5. Monitoring Plot Locations Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 Monitoring Plot LAG -1 GE Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill, NC 28580 Monitoring Plot LAG -2 Figure 6. Monitoring Plot Photographs