20130436 Ver 1_GES response to comments_20130328

28 March 2013
Katie -
Thank you for your thorough review and response to the Ballahack BPDP and the LaGrange Report.
was planning on discussing some of these issues at the Raleigh meeting but due to illness, I could not
attend.
Ballahack
• Your editorial comments will be incorporate into the revised BPDP.
• Any references to shrub species will be omitted. Just to clarify for future reference, I am
assuming that black willow (Salix nigra) are considered trees not shrubs.
• Regarding the trees species that were planted, for the benefit of GES, I prepared the following
description of the plantings that we implemented. We had intended to plant swamp chestnut oak
but due to excessively wet conditions at the DFR nursery, this species could not be "lifted" from
plant beds before the scheduled pick up and was replaced with white, water and willow oak. As
indicated in Table 2, if all species were counted toward the overall seedling density, then the
planted density would be 500 seedlings per acre; if white, willow and water oaks were excluded
then the planted density would be 330 seedlings per acre, still exceeding the 320 seedlings per
acre target density. BAs noted, GES may submit a petition to reevaluate the exclusion of some or
all of these three oak species.
Seedlings Planted at the Evans Ballahack Bank Parcel, February /march 2013
During the months of February and March, 2013, Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES)
implemented field plans to establish a riparian buffer / nutrient offset mitigation bank as per the
proposed Evans Ballahack Bank Parcel Development Package. The project is located in eastern
Edgecombe County, NC, the Lower Tar River Watershed (HUC:03020103), in the Conetoe
Creek basin. The ten -acre project site, along unnamed
d with of ten character divided into four tracts of unequal a rea and p lant bare-root seedling
tree species.
Seedlings were obtained from the NC Division of Forest Resources, Claridge Plant Nursery in
Goldsboro, NC. Five thousand seedlings of ten character tree species were purchased and
planted by GES (Table 1). At the project site, species were planted based on their adaptations to
soil and microsite conditions, chiefly dependent upon drainage and soil texture. For example,
bald cypress, river birch and black gum in poorly drained sites and red oak, persimmon and
white oak on well drained sites. Moderately well drained sites were suitable for any of the ten
character species.
After planting, overall seedling density for the ten acre site was 500 seedlings per acre (Table 2).
Based on approximate planting tallies maintained for each tract, Tract 1 had the highest density
at 800 seedlings per acre and Tract
s to after d fivelyears is seedling density at
trees per acre; 4urrently, allpractsare
The target density for the entire
in excess of this target.

However, upon a review of a draft proposal of the Evans Ballahack Bank Parcel Development
Package, NC Division of Water Quality staff determined that while white oak, water oak and
willow oak were character species and contribute toward the goal of surface and porewater
nutrient removal, their presence in the vicinity of the mitigation bank would allow these species
to colonize the site via natural means of dispersion thus should not be counted toward the target
seedling density. Expectedly, wind dispersed seedlings such as sweetgum and red maple will
readily colonize the site, but oaks seeds are dispersed by animals, flood events and gravity and
typically would not be dispersed more than a few meters from any seed - producing, mature forest
stands.
Of the approximately 5000 linear feet of the project site, only about 200 feet, or four percent, are
immediately adjacent to a mature forest stand. This stand, on the opposite side of the stream
from the southeast corner of Tract 2, is dominated by water oak, red maple and sweetgum.
White oak is present but not contributing greatly to community composition; willow oak
presence can be better assessed once leaves are expressed in spring 2013.
Thus, if all ten character tree species planted may contribute to total, the planted density per is
500 trees /acre nut if water oak, white oak and willow oak were excluded from the total, the
planted density per is 330 trees per acre. The 330 trees per acre density is satisfactory, but only
marginally in excess of 320 trees per acre target density. GES may consider petitioning NC
DWQ to re- evaluate the plantings that have been implemented and allow some or all of the
excluded species on some or all of the tracts to be counted toward achieving the targeted tree
density.
Table 1. Bare -root seedlings planted during February and March, 2013, in four tracts at the 10-
acre Evans Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC.
Numbers of Seedlings of Character Tree Species Planted
Inclusive of White Oak, Water Oak and Willow Oak
kDiospyros fic Name
Common
Name
Tract 1
Tract 2
Tract 3
Tract 4
Total
nigra
virginiana
Liriodendron tuliperfera
Nyssa sylvatica
Platanus occidentalis
Quercus alba
Quercus nigra
Quercus phellos
Quercus rubra
Taxodium distichum
TOTALS
River birch
Persimmon
Yellow Poplar
Blackgum
Sycamore
White oak
Water oak
Willow oak
Red oak
Bald cypress
75
0
100
50
50
50
50
0
25
0
4 00
12S
100
250
200
100
50
50
150
25
200
1250
200
50
300
300
300
550
300
300
100
200
2650
100
SO
50
50
500
200
700
600
50
50
50
50
SO
200
700
500
700
500
500
200
600
5000

Numbers of Seedlings c
Exclusive of White O
Scientific Name
Common
Name
Betula nigra
River birch
Diospyros virginiana
Persimmon
Liriodendron tuliperfera
Yellow Poplar
Nyssa sylvatica
Blackgum
Platanus occidentalis
Quercus alba
Sycamore
White oak
Quercus nigra
Water oak
Quercus phellos
Willow oak
Quercus rubra
Red oak
Taxodium distichum
TOTALS
Bald cypress
f Character Tree Species Planted
ik, Water Oak and Willow Oak
Tract 1 Tract 2 Tract 3 FTract 4 Total
75
125
200
100
500
0
100
50
50
200
100
250
300
50
700
50
200
300
50
600
50
100
300
50
500
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
25
25
100
50
200
0
200
200
200
600
300
1000
1450
550
3300
Table 2. Planted seedling density in each of four tracts and overall planted seedling density at
the 10 -acre Evans Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC.
Seedling Densities for Ten Character Tree Species Planted
Inclusive of White Oak, Water Oak and Willow Oak
Tract Acres in Tract Seedlings Planted per Estimated Number of
Tract Seedlings per Acre
T1 0.50 400 800
T2 2.82 1250 443
T3 5.65 2650 469
T4 1.03 700 680
Total 10.00 5000 500
Seedling Densities for Seven Character Tree Species Planted
Exclusive of White Oak, Water Oak and Willow Oak
Tract Acres in Tract Seedlings Planted per Estimated Number of
Tract Seedlings per Acre
T1 0.50 300 600
T2 2.82 1000 355
T3 5.65 1450 257
T4 1.03 550 534
Totals 10.00 3300 330