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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20130436 Ver 1_Year 3 Monitoring Report_20151229To: Katie Merritt, NC Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources — Water Quality Programs From: David Knowles, Consultant for Greene Environmental Services, LLC Date: December 13, 2015 Re: Evans/ Ballahack Bank Parcel, Third Annual Report (2015) Ms Merritt - Included is the Evans / Ballahack Bank Parcel, Third Annual Report for Year 2015. The report is also on the included CD as a .pdf file. Thank you, David Knowles juncusI @yahoo.com (252) 757-1978 Third Annual Report Evans / Ballahack Bank Parcel Greene Environmental Services, LLC Tar River Umbrella Mitigation Bank DWR Project # 130189 December 2015 Submitted to: Katie Merritt Nutrient Offset Banking Coordinator NCDEQ-Division of Water Resources 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 Phone: (919) 807-6371; Fax: (919) 807-6494 Submitted by: Jeff Becker and David Knowles 1004 Glencastle Way Raleigh, NC 27606 Phone: (919) 215-3899; Fax: (919) 859-0911 E Third Annual Report for Evans / Ballahack Bank Parcel DWR Project # 130189 Greene Environmental Services, LLC Tar River Umbrella Mitigation Bank December 2015 Table of Contents Page Number Introduction and Background 3 Seedling Planting Design 4 Monitoring Plots 4 Third Year Monitoring Plot Data Analysis 5 Overall Success, Continued Monitoring and Maintenance Plan 6 Tables 6-9 Figures 1-5 (Project Maps) 10 Figures 6a -6d (Monitoring Plot Diagrams) 16 2 Third Annual Report for Evans / Ballahack Bank Parcel DWR Project # 130189 Greene Environmental Services, LLC Tar River Umbrella Mitigation Bank December 2015 Introduction and Background The report is the third annual monitoring report for the Evans / Ballahack Bank Parcel. Greene Environmental Services, LLC (GES) of Snow Hill, North Carolina, in 2013, established this riparian buffer/nutrient offset mitigation site in the Tar River Basin. The site is located east of the Edgecombe County town of Tarboro, NC and may be accessed by driving east on US 264 approximately 5 miles from Tarboro (Figure 1). At Exit 491, take Chinquapin Road (SR 1524) 2 miles north to NC 111. Take a right turn on NC 111 and drive approximately 0.3 miles and take a right turn onto Roberson School Road (SR 1524). Continue on Roberson School Road for approximately 0.6 miles and take a right turn onto the unnamed farm road with circular metal grain storage buildings located in the distance from the road. Continue 0.3 miles on farm road to a bridge over a drainage canal. The project site is located to the east of the canal and south of the metal buildings along a streamside tree line (Figures 2 and 3). The purpose of the nutrient mitigation bank is to improve water quality within the Tar 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 Lower Tar Watershed (HUC: 03020103). The bank parcel buffers an un -named tributary to Ballahack Canal which in turn is a tributary to Conetoe Creek which enters the Tar River near the Pitt County town of Falkland, NC. Ballahack Canal is an impaired stream with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources — Division of Water Resources designation: 28-87-1.2 C NSW 8.4 mi. AL B-9 SS --02 I FS. The local landscape is in row crop agriculture, cut -over forest scrubland and forest. Soils range from well drained loamy sands to very poorly drained loams (Figure 4). In the 2012 growing season, prior to the installation of tree seedlings, the site was in soybean production. The bank parcel is 10 acres, including 5.45 acres (237,402 square feet) of Tar -Pamlico riparian buffer credit and 4.55 acres (198,198 square feet) of nutrient offset buffer credit (Figures 5a and 5b). Nitrogen and phosphorus credits generated by the nutrient offset buffet total 10,342.24 lb -N at 2,273.02 lb-N/acre and 666.12 lb -P at 146.4 lb-P./acre. This bank parcel was established under the terms and conditions of the Greene Environmental Services Tar -Pamlico River Basin Riparian Buffer and Nutrient Offset Umbrella Bank. The parcel is located in the Edgecombe County Drainage District #2 which includes Ballahack Canal. The Drainage District maintains a 20 -foot easement along the Canal. When designing the 3 Evans Ballahack Bank Parcel the area under easement was avoided such that the easement nor any drainage structures were encumbered by the Bank. Seedling Planting Design The Evans/Ballahack Bank Parcel was initially planted with character trees in February and March of 2013. The suite of tree species selected for the bank parcel should be well -adapted or tolerant to the soil and drainage conditions throughout the site. Soils at the Evans/Ballahack mitigation site were loams and sandy loams and ranged from very poorly drained soils to well -drained; historic ditching has most likely increase the rate of soil drainage (Figure 4). Bareroot seedlings were obtained from the North Carolina Forest Service Nursery, Claridge Nursery, Goldsboro, NC. All tree seedlings planted generally ranged in height from 1 foot to 4 feet. The species most frequently planted on soils with poor drainage were bald cypress, black gum and river birch (Table 1). The species most frequently planted on better drained soils were red oak and white oak. Persimmon, yellow poplar, sycamore, water oak and willow oak were planted throughout with the exception of areas which exhibited frequent ponding. Seedlings were planted in rows roughly paralleling the buffered stream at l Oft by l Oft spacings. A total of 5000 bareroot seedlings, thus averaging 500 seedlings per acre, of ten character species were planted at the Evans/Ballahack parcel during February and March 2013 (Table 2). Yellow poplar, black gum, white oak and bald cypress were the most frequently planted species, accounting for 52% of the seedlings planted. River birch, sycamore, water oak and willow oak accounted for 40% of the total seedlings planted. Persimmon and red oak accounted for 8% of the total seedlings planted. While planting, soils, microsite and surface drainage conditions were noted and appropriate species were planted on these sites (Table 1). In addition to the initial planting, a supplemental planting was undertaken in January of 2014. Based on a visual assessment and cursory quantitative assessment, there were sizeable gaps in seedling success within the tracts that were not necessarily reflected in monitoring plot records. A total of 800 additional seedlings were planted in two parallel rows running the length of the Parcel. Bareroot seedlings planted were two hundred each of sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), white oak (Quercus alba), red oak (Q. rubra) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) (Table 2). This increased the percentage of planted seedling of sycamore, white oak, red oak and bald cypress by 12, 16, 7 and 4 percent, respectively, while reducing the percentage for all other species. Monitoring Plots Surveyed boundary points were demarked with 6 -foot metal T -posts and the boundary between the mitigation parcel and the adjacent agricultural land was marked with white, 5 -foot PVC posts atop metal rods at 100 -foot intervals. Four, 10m by 10m. (0.0247 -acre) monitoring plots were established on the parcel using CVS protocols (Figures 5a and 5b). Tracts 2 and 4 each have one plot; the largest tract, Tract 3, has two plots. The corners of each plot were marked with white, 10 -foot PVC posts atop metal rods. Seedlings within the monitoring plots were flagged with blue, plastic, flagging tape and white pin flags. All seedlings within each plot were located and 4 mapped (Figures 6a -6d). Plot photographs were made from a location at the northwest corner with a view toward the southeast corner (Figure 7). Third Year Monitoring Plot Data Analysis As per discussions with NC DEQ, Division of Water Resources staff, planted saplings of water oak and willow oak were not used as criteria to measure stand establishment success in Monitoring Plot BLK-3. Plot BLK-3 is located approximately 100 feet from a mature forest stand on property adjacent to the Bank Parcel. The mature stand contains specimens of water oak and willow oak thus they are potential sources of propagules for natural colonization. The other three monitoring plots are of sufficient distance from the mature stand that natural colonization was deemed unlikely. The data analyses that follow exclude water oak and willow oak counts in Plot BLK-3. In September 2015, near the end of the third growing season an average sapling density among the four monitoring plots was 11.8+3.8 saplings per plot (Table 3). Thus a calculated average density of 475.8+152.8 saplings per acre (Table 4). Plot BLK-3 had the greatest density with 16 saplings per 100m2 plot, thus 647.8 seedlings per acre. Plots BLK-2 had the lowest density with 7 seedlings, thus 283.6 seedlings per acre; this is below the targeted minimum of 320 saplings per acre. The most frequently encountered species based on percent relative density within the monitoring plots was blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), accounting for 18.5+9.1 percent saplings found in the plots. In decreasing order of importance, red oak (Quercus rubrum), white oak (Q. alba), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and river birch (Betula nigra) ranged from 12.9 percent to 10.6 percent of the saplings found in the plots. (Table 5). Willow oak (Q. phellos), water oak (Q. nigra) were the least represented species found in the monitoring plots at 5.6 and 2.5 percent, respectively. American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) seedlings were planted in the Ballahack Parcel but were not recorded within the monitoring plots. A comparison of sapling success in the monitoring plots at the end of the second growing season, 2014, to the end of the third growing in 2015 indicated that three species, white oak, red oak and water oak, increased by approximately 10 saplings per acre among all plots (Table 6). This increase is most likely due to new shoots emerging from root stock surviving from the previous year. Two species, sycamore and blackgum decreased by approximately 30 saplings per acre among all plots. The sapling density of the other five species remained unchanged from 2014 to 2015. Overall, there was a decline in estimated saplings per acre from 506.1 in 2014 to 475.8 in 2015; approximately 30 saplings per acre less. However, this 2015 estimated sapling density for the entire 10 acre bank parcel was well above the minimum 320 sapling targeted density. 5 Overall Success, Continued Monitoring and Maintenance Plan The EvansBallahack Parcel will be monitored next during the 2016 growing season to ensure that the parcel boundaries are maintained and that any easement terms are in compliance. If supplemental planting is needed in the vicinity of Monitoring Plot BLK-2 or other areas, approval from NC Division of Water Resources staff will be sought. Between late August and October of 2016, the monitoring plots will be assessed and photographed and the fourth annual report submitted to the NC DWR by December 31, 2016. Subsequent monitoring will be conducted between late August and October and annual reports submitted to DWR for a total of five growing seasons, pending final compliance. Signage has been installed at key access locations identifying the Parcel as a conservation area, contact information and listing activities that are not allowed as per the conservation easement. Table 1. Species suitability for soils at the Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. Third Annual Report, 2015. Tract Dominant Soils Soil Drainage Species Suitability 1 Roanoke loam (Ro) Poorly drained river birch, yellow poplar, black gum, sycamore 2 Cape Fear loam (Ca) Very poorly river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black drained gum, sycamore, bald cypress 3 Cape Fear loam (Ca) Very poorly river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black drained gum, sycamore, bald cypress Altavista fine sandy loam, 0 Well drained river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black to 3 percent slopes (AaA) gum, sycamore, white oak, willow oak, water oak 4 Ballahack fine sandy loam Very poorly river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black (Ba) drained gum, sycamore, bald cypress Portsmouth fine sandy loam Very poorly river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black (Pu) drained gum, sycamore, bald cypress Conetoe loamy sand, 0 to 4 Well drained river birch, persimmon, yellow poplar, black percent slopes (CeB) gum, sycamore, white oak, willow oak, water oak 11 Table 2. Seedlings planted in 2013 with supplemental 2014 plantings in parentheses, in four tracts at the 10 -acre Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. Third Annual Report, 2015. Numbers of Seedlings of Character Tree Species Planted Seedling Species Common Tract 1 Tract 2 Tract 3 Tract 4 Total Percent 0 1.3+1.5 Name 0 0 0 0 0.0+0.0 Seedlings of Total Betula nigra River birch 75 125 200 100 500 10 (9) Diose ros vir iniana Persimmon 0 100 50 50 200 4 (3) Liriodendron Yellow 100 250 300 50 700 14 (12) tuli i era poplar 0 0 0.8+1.0 Quercus rubra Red oak 0 1 3 N ssa s lvatica Blackgurn 50 200 300 50 600 12 10 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 50 (25) 100 (50) 300 50 (25) 500 (700) 10 (12) (100) Quercus alba White oak 50 (25) 50 (50) 550 50 (25) 700 (900) 14 (16) (100) Quercus nigra Water oak 50 50 350 50 500 10 9 Quercus phellos Willow oak 0 150 300 50 500 10 (9 Quercus rubra Red oak 25 (25) 25 (50) 100 50 (25) 200 (400) 4 (7) 100 Taxodium distichum Bald cypress 0 200 (50) 200 0 600 (800) 12 (14) (100) ( Totals 400 (475) 1250 2650 700 5000 100 1450 3050 825 5800 Table 3. Sapling counts by species in 10 in by 10 in (0.0247 -acre) monitoring plots recorded in September 2015. Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. Third Annual Report, 2015. Sapling Species Common Name BLK-1 BLK-2 BLK-3 Average BLK-4 (+Std.S) Among Plots Betula nigra River birch 2 3 0 0 1.3+1.5 Diospyros virginiana Am. Persimmon 0 0 0 0 0.0+0.0 Liriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar 0 0 3 0 0.8+1.5 N ssa sylvan ca Blackgum 0 0 3 3 1.5+1.7 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 1 2 2 1 1.5+0.6 Quercus alba White oak 0 0 5 2 1.8+2.4 Quercus nigra Water oak 0 0 0 2 0.5+1.0 Quercus phellos Willow oak 2 1 0 0 0.8+1.0 Quercus rubra Red oak 0 1 3 3 1.8+1.5 Taxodium distichum Bald cypress 8 0 0 0 2.0+4.0 Totals 13 7 16 11 11.8+3.8 7 Table 4. Sapling density per acre based on seedling counts in 10 m by 10 m (0.0247 -acre) monitoring plots recorded in September 2015. Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. Third Annual Report, 2015. Sapling Species Common Name BLK-1 BLK-2 BLK-3 BLK-4 Average (+SD) Among Plots Betula nigra River birch 81.0 121.5 0.0 0.0 50.6+_60.8 Diospyros vir iniana Amer. persimmon 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0+0.0 Liriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar 0.0 0.0 121.5 0.0 30.4+_60.8 N ssa s lvatica Blackgum 0.0 0.0 121.5 121.5 60.8+_70.1 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 40.5 81.0 81.0 40.5 60.8+_23.4 Quercus alba White oak 0.0 0.0 202.4 81.0 70.9+_95.7 Quercus nigra Water oak 0.0 0.0 0.0 81.0 20.3+_40.5 Quercus phellos Willow oak 81.0 40.5 0.0 0.0 30.4+_38.8 Quercus rubra Red oak 0.0 40.5 121.5 81.0 60.8+_52.3 Taxodium distichum Bald cypress 323.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 81.0+_162.0 Totals 526.3 283.6 647.8 445.3 475.8+152.8 Table 5. Species relative density, as percentage of saplings in 10 m by 10 m (0.0247 -acre) monitoring plots recorded in September 2015. Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. First Annual Report, 2015. Sapling Species Common Name BLK- 1 BLK- 2 BLK- 3 BLK- 4 Overall Percent Rel. Den. Among Plots Betula nigra River birch 12.5 30.0 0.0 0.0 10.6+14.2 Diospyros virginiana Amer. Persimmon 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0+0.0 Liriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar 6.3 20.0 21.4 0.0 11.9+10.5 Nyssa sylvatica Blackgum 12.5 10.0 21.4 30.0 18.5+9.1 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 6.3 20.0 14.3 10.0 12.7+5.9 Quercus alba White oak 0.0 0.0 21.4 30.0 12.9+15.2 Quercus nigra Water oak 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.0 2.5+5.0 Quercus phellos Willow oak 12.5 10.0 0.0 0.0 5.6+6.6 Quercus rubra Red oak 0.0 10.0 21.4 20.0 12.9+10.0 Taxodium distichum Bald cypress 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 12.5+25.0 Totals 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0+0.0 H Table 6. Comparison of tree sapling density per acre between the second (2014) and third (2015) growing seasons based on counts in 10 m by 10 m (0.0247 -acre). Negative number represents a decline in sapling density. Evans/Ballahack Mitigation Bank in Edgecombe County, NC. Greene Environmental Services, LLC, Snow Hill, NC. Third Annual Report, 2015. Sapling Species Common Name Second Year (2014) Monitoring, Saplings Per Acre Third Year (2015) Monitoring, Saplings Per Acre Change in Sapling Density Per Acre Betula nigra River birch 50.6 50.6 0 Diospyros virginiana Am. persimmon 0.0 0.0 0 Liriodendron tulipifera Yellow poplar 60.7 30.4 -30.3 N ssa s lvatica Black gum 91.1 60.7 -30.4 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore 60.7 60.7 0 Quercus alba White oak 60.7 70.9 10.2 Quercus nigra Water oak 10.1 20.2 10.1 Quercus phellos Willow oak 30.4 30.4 0 Quercus rubra Red oak 60.7 70.9 10.2 Taxodium distichum Bald cypress 81.0 81.0 0 Totals 506.1 475.8 -30.3 01 wlo r } —71 -T 331 9 WNW - t — v Dnp 444 r~ Toro- L� I r. Evans Ballahaca�,I B,ank.Parc y — UU , 1000 ft 2000 N Figure 1— Vicinity Map Gras a Emyim rcnral 8crwras, LLC 94 Hem Pro u: -p RU. 9ncw !Hill. NC 21:15Gl7 10 =0 ». Legend Unnamed 2ibut kEs Nutrient Cgis« . � RipaF Bn Bye s 'k , :rU .} »� |.$ \ � Tm d4 � �gTA TFaCt3 0]5 CTE Figure 2— U\G\ƒOpographic Map Gre*na -•— PTOd� — In_ w M_: m Legend UnnaJTk-ed Tributaries NLrbrient met ® RipsTisn Huffer CTE Grearre Emlranni[nral Servk as, LLL '94 H ern Prmdt Rd. SnDw Hill_ WG 20VO Tra ct 4 r. WWI - U T -B ru Trac 6 1 r°cl_2 ". 4j Tract 3 U T --x Figure 3 —Aerial Map ti AaA Approximate Location Evans Ballahack Parcel I Ca Ballahack Canal u s Dashed Line is Approximate Location of Stream r rt �••,•^ r° Apa L END AaA: Altavista fine sandy loam Ba: Ballahack fine sandy loam Ca: Cape Fear loam Ce B: Conetoe loamy sand C7E Figure 4 — Soils Map Gretna Fn%d ranmenrml 5vrwk-es, LLC' 94 H am FrodL" Rd. Snax Hill.. WC HIM IN FF-- Y�-1 Tra ct 1 J F u ~ Riparian Buffer Area: 0.46 ac (20,038 sq. ft) w Nutrient Offset Area: 0.04 ac (1,742 sq. ft) I Ld F4 ¢' MW W y I a-4` -- --- 3 FF-- Y�-1 J F u ~ w ® I Ld F4 ¢' MW W Tract 2 Riparian Buffer Area: 1.26 acres (54,886 sq. ft) Nutrient Offset Area: 1.56 ac (67,954 sq. ft) Tar River Buffer Area Nutrient Offset CTE Figure 5a - Survey Excerpt Grime FnWarwwnral Snrwk es, LLC 94 H ern Produce Rd, 9nvro Hill. WC 2OUD Line N.T.S. Tract 3'' I Riparian Buffer Area: 2.80 ac (121,968 sq. ft) Nutrient Offset Area: 2.85 ac (124,146 sq. ft) Match Line I' 03 W Lill ULI 52 ,L 4 Tract 4 Riparian Buffer Area: 0.93 ac (40,511 sq. ft) Alii+v;„ + nff—+ nr-.,-,. it 1!1 -,.- IA ?CC — f+1 Plot BLK-2 GE rwk-■ . LLC 94 W am FITUdL vo Rd Snow Hill. TIC 29W Tar River Buffer Area 0 Nutrient Offset Area Figure 5b —Survey Excerpt N.T.S. C � Plot t BLK-4 a � P { w '... ®.�, •.... •vim NX Plot � BLK-3 GE rwk-■ . LLC 94 W am FITUdL vo Rd Snow Hill. TIC 29W Tar River Buffer Area 0 Nutrient Offset Area Figure 5b —Survey Excerpt N.T.S. Plot: BLK-1 16 NE 10 12 9 ♦ 8 6 ♦ 7 11 ♦ 7 ♦ 5 ♦8 ♦ 13 6 5 4 10 DEAD 19 4 ♦ ♦ 3 DEAD ♦ 14 DEAD 3 15 2 X16 DEAD 1 ®1 18 ♦ 17 DEAD 0 1 - 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NW Tree ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Species Bald Cypress Yellow Poplar DEAD Blackgum DEAD River birch Bald Cypress Bald Cypress Bald Cypress Bald Cypress Bald Cypress Blackgum DEAD Tree ID Species SE 10 SW 11 Bald Cypress 12 River birch 13 Bald Cypress 14 Yellow poplar DEAD 15 Willow oak 16 Yellow poplar DEAD 17 Blackgum DEAD 18 Willow oak 19 Sycamore PLOT: BLK-2 17 NE 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ♦ 5 ♦ 6 ♦ 7 ♦ 4 DEAD ♦ 3 DEAD 9 DEAD - 8 2 11 DEAD ♦1 12 DEAD 10 SE 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NW SW Tree ID Species Tree ID Species 1 River birch 7 Sycamore 2 River birch 8 River birch 3 Blackgum DEAD 9 Yellow poplar DEAD 4 White oak DEAD 10 Red oak 5 Willow oak 11 Yellow poplar DEAD 6 Sycamore 12 Blackgum DEAD PLOT: BLK-3 NE 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2 DEAD M 11 Yellow poplar ♦7 12 ♦17 Black gum DEAD ♦ ♦9 16 Black gum ♦1 ♦ 5 ♦10 4 Red oak ♦ 14 Red oak 18 ♦ 4 ♦♦ 15 DEAD White oak 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NW SE 8 1 Yellow poplar 11 Sycamore 2 Black gum DEAD 12 White oak 3 Black gum 13 Red oak 4 Red oak 14 Red oak 5 White oak 15 Sycamore 6 White oak 16 Water oak 7 White oak 17 Water oak 8 Yellow poplar 18 White oak 9 Black gum 19 Willow oak 10 Yellow poplar PLOT: BLK-4 0V NE 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 SE 14 AD* 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NW SW Red oak Blackgum Yellow poplar DEAD Red oak Water oak Blackgum DEAD Sycamore 1 Blackgum 8 2 Blackgum 9 3 Water oak 10 1 4 Red oak 11 5 White oak 12 6 Water oak DEAD 13 7 White oak 14 Red oak Blackgum Yellow poplar DEAD Red oak Water oak Blackgum DEAD Sycamore