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Home My WebLink About20080511 Ver 2_As Built Report_20130506As -Built Report for LaGrange Bank Parcel �Ocy-()'5) V 2- Greene Environmental Services, LLC Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank DWQ #: 08- 0511v2 April 2013 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 Submitted by: Jeff Becker 1004 Glencastle Way Raleigh, NC 27606 Phone: (919) 215 -3899; Fax: (919) 859 -0911 CTES!� pY -�Y6 Oi -M3YC LfY1 ��. ,.1 MAY 6 2013 NR - WA 7r; 5 Wa:lands 3 Ska: -k 8f8n( As- Built Report for LaGrange Bank Parcel Greene Environmental Services, LLC Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank DWQ#: 08-051 1v2 April 2013 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 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 regional landscape and lands in the vicinity of the parcel is largely in row crop agricultural production (Figure 3) with soils that are moderately to poorly drained and heavily ditched for improved drainage (Figures 4 and 5). The bank parcel is approximately 3.39 acres, including 0.87 acres of riparian buffer and 2.52 acres of nutrient offset buffer restoration (Figure 6). 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. Plantings and Monitoring Plot Implementation The LaGrange parcel was initially planted with character trees in 2010 and 2011 at a rate of 413 seedlings per acre (Table 1). Supplemental planting were done in 2012 at a rate of 108 seedlings per acre and in 2013 at a rate of 103 seedlings per acre. Thus prior to the submission of this first annual monitoring report a total of 2115 seedlings at a rate of 624 seedlings per acre had been planted on the 3.39 -acre parcel. The suite of tree species selected for the LaGrange Parcel should be well - adapted or tolerant to the soil and drainage conditions throughout the site. Most of the northern two thirds of the site is poorly drained Pantego loam with a moderately well drained, Craven fine sandy loam at portion at the southeastern third of the parcel. Areas with poorly drained soils and microtopography were planted chiefly with bald cypress, pond cypress, river birch, green ash, blackgum, sycamore, and cherrynbark oak. Better drained sites and microtopgraphic sites were planted chiefly with persimmon, white oak, turkey oak, live oak and yellow poplar. Two monitoring plots were established on the parcel using CVS protocols (igure 7). Plot LAG is located at Latitude: 35.341362, Longitude: - 77.790192. Plot LAG 2 is located at Latitude: 35.341338, Longitude: - 77.790193 and is entirely within the 50 -foot riparian buffer zone. Although twelve tree species were planted in the 3.39 -acre parcel, only six species were represented within the two monitoring plots. These species were: river birch, black gum, sycamore, cherrybark oak, bald cypress and pond cypress (Table 2). In table 2, both species of cypress seedlings were combined but stem densities will be analyzed separately in subsequent reports as leaf characteristics develop and allow distinguishing between the two species. Stem densities for all species was 809 stems per acre in each plot, thus an average or 809 stems per acre overall. The two cypress species had the greatest density and averaged 344 stems per acre while cherrybark oak and sycamore were the least dense with 81 stems per acre for each species. A loblolly pine and numerous red maple seedlings, volunteer and planted, were found in each plot but were not included in the character tree analysis. Overall Condition 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 hawk perches were installed on the site. Table 1. LaGrange Tract. Approximate number of seedlings planted 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 on 3.39 acre tract. As -Built Report. April 2013, Greene Environmental Services, LLC. Planted Planted Planted February/ Species Common Name April 2013 January March Totals 2012 2010 and 2011 Betula niRra River birch 50 50 400 450 Diospyros Persimmon 0 25 0 25 vir iniana Fraxinus Green ash 0 0 200 200 enn Ivanica Liriodendron yellow poplar 0 20 0 20 tul i i era N ssa sylvatica Blackgum 0 30 200 230 Platanus Sycamore 0 120 0 120 occidental is uercus alba White oak 0 25 0 25 uercus laevis Turkey oak 0 25 0 25 ercus pagoda Cherrybark oak 0 0 200 200 Quercus Live oak 0 45 0 45 vir iniana Taxodium Bald cypress 100 25 400 425 distichum Taxodium ascendens pond cypress 200 0 0 200 Total Seedlings Planted 350 365 1400 2115 Average Number Seedlings Planted per Acre 103 108 413 624 Table 2. Stem density in 100 m2 monitoring plots at LaGrange Parcel. As -Built Report. April 2013, Greene Environmental Services, LLC. Plot LAG -1 Plot LAG -2 Plot Averages Species Common Number Stems Number Stems Number Stems Name Stems per acre Stems per acre Stems per acre Betula River birch 2 81 5 202 3.5 141 nigra Nyssa Black gum 3 121 5 202 4 162 sylvatica Platanus Sycamore y 2 81 2 81 2 81 occidentalis Quercus Cherrybark 2 81 2 81 2 81 pagoda Oak Taxodium Bald or Pond 11 445 6 243 8.5 344 SPA Cypress Totals for Planted 20 809 20 809 20 809 Species sraM! ION !� I , I H01 I 258 123 ' t� +� ♦`nom 1+ La Grange Site t r `s 1 KMrst R"10" t J4O*" At 1 1 St l`mys Fl9W - I % 1 = 70 Z l z to r •• -a springs r .... 258 I l X903) SS; I t r /y 1 ' 111 , ♦ �,.� . t 1 f r r " i \ ` , f T. ON _ tit 70 f t f 4 1 / / / 3.5 mi (3E Figure 1— Vicinity Map Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill, NC 28580 71k CTE5 Figure 2 — USGS Topog ra phi c Ma p —mow .anti.+.... wftmm. N .T. S ICJ GE5Figure 3 —Aerial Map Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 1l1 M. LEGEND Cr: Craven fine sandy loam GO: Goldsboro loamy sand Pe: Pantego loam Ra: Rains sandy loam N.T.S. CTE Figure 4 — Soils Map Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 M i IL A n a JAgpNIO Bank - - - �-� - I Parcel � � t N.T.S. CTE Figure 5 — FEMA Flood plain /Floodway Mapping Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 29580 QANAL- NPS 2�S 0�52637-W �3042' E 37,939.70 sq. ft. 6 Neuse Buffer Area TOTAL AC RES 3.39 acres by computer HAM STORAGE, LLC D.B. 1597, Pg. 114 P.C. 12, Pg. 99 109,581.98 sq, ft. Nutrient Offset Area W 7542'31*E 174.73' N 5522'41'E 58.15' N 51 2300'37W 117.71" N 7530'29'W 130.57' 'W 136.24' N 6938'55W 124.01' 6619'08""W 36.54' 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) CTE5Figure 6 — Survey Excerpt Greene Environmental Services. LLC 91) Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 GE Greene Environmental Services. LLC 90 Ham Produce Rd. Snow Hill. NC 28580 Figure 7 — Monitoring Plot Locations � " >� "' �, s.,� y". .� ' �.. r. l ,�, �' >,� ,''_' � " >� "' �, s.,� y". .� ' �.. r.