20080511 Ver 1_Year 3 Monitoring Report L-8_20150102

THIRD MONITORING REPORT
THIRD POST- REMEDIATION GROWING SEASON
TRACTL -8
Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel
Greene Environmental Services, LLC
Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank
DWQ #08- 0511 -01
Year 2014
Submitted to:
Katie Merritt
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Resources — Water Quality Programs
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699 -1617
Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Submitted by:
Jeff Becker
1004 Glencastle Way
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
1

THIRD MONITORING REPORT
THIRD POST- REMEDIATION GROWING SEASON
TRACT L - 8
Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel
Greene Environmental Services, LLC
Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank
DWQ #08- 0511 -01
Year 2014
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction and Background
3
Monitoring and Results for 2014
4
Overall Condition, Maintenance and Supplemental Plantings
4
Tables
5
Figures
7
2

Introduction and Background
The Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel (CLOP) in southeastern Greene
County, is part of the Neuse River Umbrella Mitigation Bank offered and maintained by
Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES). There were two sets of tracts with the
CLOP; a 1.23 -acre set of tracts located off Lower Field Road, north of the NC 903 in the
Scuffleton community, and a second set of tracts totaling 19.53 acres located off SR
1004, south of NC 903 in Scuffleton, NC (Figures 1 and 2). With the exception of two
tracts, Tract 8 and a mitigation bank expansion tract, Tract L -1OA, the field monitoring
obligations of GES have been completed. Tract L -10A is not presently being monitored.
Seedling success in Tract L -8 was insufficient at the end of the initial monitoring phase,
thus, in accordance with NC Division of Water Resources recommendations in 2011,
remedial plantings were undertaken and a second 5 -year monitoring phase was
implemented. This report is the second of five, post - remedial planting report for Tract L-
8. The riparian buffer and nutrient offset credits generated by the CLCP may be used to
offset impacts within Cataloging Unit 03020203 of the Neuse River Basin.
Monitoring and Results for Year 2014
As specified in the CLCP Bank Parcel Development Package (BPDP), this report
represents the third year of post - remediation vegetative monitoring of Tract L -8 of the
CLOP. The BPDP requires the submission of an annual monitoring report each of five
successive years.
Tract L -8, a 1.51 acre tract with two monitoring plots, Plots L -8A and L -813, was
included in the initial CLCP project area. However, due to poor survival rates among
planted tree species, this tract marginally meet success criteria for stem density.
NCDENR - Division of Water Resources personnel visited the site in November 2011
and agreed to a remediation plan for Tract L -8 that included planting two new species on
site that are well adapted to the excessively drained soils of the tract; turkey oak (Quercus
laevis) and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). In January 2012, 600 bareroot turkey oak
seedlings and 270 containerized longleaf pine seedlings were planted on Tract 8. These
species were supplemental to the previously planted species green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica), white oak (Quercus alba), and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum); as
well as the volunteer species, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). In October of 2013, an
additional 220 longleaf pine seedlings were planted in the Tract; unlike most hardwood
species and other conifers that are typically planted when fully dormant in winter months,
the NC Forest Service recommends that longleaf pine should be planted in October thus
allowing root establishment prior to winter stress.
In each of the two, 10m by 10m (0.247 -acre) monitoring plots all character trees were
recorded by species in August 2014 according to Carolina Vegetation Survey sampling
protocols referred to in the Mitigation Banking Instrument. Plot locations are mapped in
Figure 3. Vegetation plot photo points were located at the northwestern corner of the
plots (Figure 4).
3

During the August 2014 monitoring effort, a total of 46 seedlings representing nine
species were recorded in the two monitoring plots (Table 1). The average seedling
density was 23 +2.8 among the two plots; thus a calculated average seedling density of
931.2 +114.5 seedlings per acre. Six species of planted trees were recorded. The average
density of seedlings for planted species was 19.5 +2.1 for a calculated average density of
789.85 +85.9 seedlings per acre. For each monitoring plot and for the average among the
two plots, for both total seedlings and planted seedlings, the success criterion of 320
seedlings per acre was exceeded.
The most common planted species were turkey oak and longleaf pine representing 72
percent of the planted seedlings; 23 percent of the planted seedlings were turkey oaks and
49 percent of the planted seedlings were longleaf pines (Table 2). Approximately eighty -
five percent of the total seedlings recorded in the plots were of planted species. Black
oak and loblolly pine were the most common naturally colonizing species; all colonizing
species were greater than 10 cm in height.
A comparison of the August 2014 monitoring plot results to those of October 2013 (Table
3) indicates an average stem density increase of 202.4 seedlings per acre, both for all
species and for planted species. The greatest increase in seedling density was for
longleaf pine, averaging 202.4 seedlings per acre. Changes in seedling density may be
attributed to natural mortality, natural regrowth from belowground sprouts and from
establishment success of longleaf pine seedlings planted in 2013.
Overall Condition, Maintenance and Supplemental Plantings
The 1.51 -acre, Tract L -8 continues to be a problematic site due to drought -prone site
conditions and grazing by deer. However, replanted longleaf pine and turkey oak,
species that are best adapted to the somewhat xeric site conditions, appear to be less
prone to mortality and are expected to increase in height in subsequent growing
seedlings. The 2014 growing season was generally good with adequate rainfall and
moderate air temperatures. Annual, herbaceous weeds, especially dogfennel (Eupatorium
capillifolium) were robust during 2014; while these weeds compete with seedlings for
water and nutrients during the growing season, they may also be beneficial by moderating
microsite conditions and providing some refuge from grazing. Coastal Bermuda grass
(Cynodon dactylon), escaped and colonizing from an adjacent pasture is a concern for
belowground competition with seedlings for water and nutrients, but as seedlings mature
and canopy closure develops, this competing species should become less problematic.
No supplemental planting will be required assuming seedling densities continue to be
well in excess of the target density.
11

Table 1. Stem density in 100 m2 monitoring plots in CLCP Tract L -8. Contentnea Creek/
Little Contentnea Creek Parcel, 2014 Annual Report, Greene Environmental Services,
LLC.
*Species not planted but colonizing by natural propagation.
Table 2. Relative density of species in 100 m2 monitoring plots in CLCP Tract L -8.
Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel, 2014 Annual Report, Greene
Environmental Services, LLC.
Species
Common
name
Plot L -8A
Plot L -813
Tract L -8 Averages
Green ash
Common
15
Stems
Sweetgum
Stems
NA
Pinus palustris
Species
41
Number
Pinus taeda*
Number
7
Number
Stems per
White oak
Name
Stems
per
p
Stems
per
p
Stems
acre
Red oak
4
5
acre
Black oak
acre
NA
Taxodium distichum
Frayinus
Green ash
4
161.9
2
81.0
3
121.5
pennsy/v an i ca
Liquidambar
Sweet um
g
0
0.0
1
40.5
0.5
20.2
styrac flua*
Pinus
Longleaf
palustris
pine
7
283.4
12
485.8
9.5
384.6
Pinus taeda*
Loblolly
1
40.5
2
81.0
1.5
60.7
pine
Quercus alba
White oak
0
0.0
2
81.0
1
40.5
Quercus laevis
Turkey
6
242.9
3
121.5
4.5
182.2
Quercus rubra
Red oak
1
40.5
1
40.5
1
40.5
Quercus
Black oak
2
81.0
1
40.5
1.5
60.7
velutina *
Taxodium
Bald
distichumn
I cypress
0
0.0
1
40.5
0.5
20.2
Totals for All Species
21
850.2
25
1012.1
23 +2.8
931.2 +114.5
Totals for Planted Species
18
728.7
21
850.2
19.5 +2.1
789.5 +85.9
*Species not planted but colonizing by natural propagation.
Table 2. Relative density of species in 100 m2 monitoring plots in CLCP Tract L -8.
Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel, 2014 Annual Report, Greene
Environmental Services, LLC.
Species
Common
name
Percent of
Total Stems
by Species
Percent of
Planted
Stems by
Species
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Green ash
13
15
Liquidambar styrac flua*
Sweetgum
2
NA
Pinus palustris
Longleaf pine
41
49
Pinus taeda*
Loblolly pine
7
NA
Quercus alba
White oak
4
5
Quercus laevis
Turkey oak
20
23
Quercus rubra
Red oak
4
5
Quercus velutina*
Black oak
7
NA
Taxodium distichum
Bald cypress
2
3
Planted species accounted for 85% of the total seedlings in plots.
*Species not planted but colonizing by natural propagation.

Table 3. Comparison of 2014 and 2013 stem density in 100 m2 monitoring plots in CLCP
Tract L -8. Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel. Positive numbers represent
an increase in seedling density, negative number represent a decline in seedling density
and zero represent no change is seedling density. 2014 Annual Report, Greene
Environmental Services, LLC.
*Species not planted but colonizing by natural propagation.
31
Change in
Species
Common name
Stems per acre
Stems per acre
Seedling
2014
2013
Density per
Acre
Fraxinus
Green ash
121.5
101.2
20.2
pennsylvanica
Liquidambar
Sweetgum
20.2
20.2
0.0
styrac flua
Pinus palustris
Longleaf pine
384.6
182.2
202.4
Pinus taeda*
Loblolly pine
60.7
60.7
0.0
Quercia alba
White oak
40.5
40.5
0.0
Quercus laevis
Turkey oak
182.2
222.7
-40.5
Quercus rubra
Red oak
40.5
20.2
20.2
Quercus
Black oak
60.7
60.7
0.0
velutina *
Taxodium
Bald cypress
20.2
20.2
0.0
distichumn
Totals for All Species
931.2
728.7
202.4
Totals for Planted Species
789.5
587.0
202.4
*Species not planted but colonizing by natural propagation.
31

Figure 1. Area map for Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek parcels. Greene Environmental Services, LLC. Annual Report for Year,
2014.

+ i
�r
L I
00V t
IN-
Figure 2. Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek (CLOP) location map (USGS 7.5'
Quadrangle, Ayden, NC) for project tracts; Tract 8 is identified in relation to other tracts.
Greene Environmental Services, LLC. Annual Report for 2014.

Plot L-
Plat L-713
I ; Plot L-6
imagery IMP: 51312011 '& 11993 1
Plot L--8A . . . . . . . .
a'
Gontenm e g�
Plot L-8B Google-ea-rth
35`26'29.95° N 77'2 5A D. 30" W elev 1S) t p. ril: 4�-!) ) ft

Figure 4. Contentnea Creek / Little Contentnea Creek Parcel, Tract 8, Plots 8A and 8B. August
2014, Greene Environmental Services.
Plot 8A
Plot 8B
10