See. MONF.202. This community runs southeast to the river although it becomes more of an upland Picea rubens - Tsuga canadensis / Rhododendron maximum type losing the Sphagnum. Along the river is a thin patch of tall herb with Dichanthelium clandestinum and Vernonia noveboracensis. The area feels isolated. It is along a stretch of Laurel Fork which is virtually roadless to Jenningston ca. 10 miles. There is an interesting oxbow signature ca. 1.5 miles downstream on river right. No time to explore today. Access best from Sully Rd.;Forested seep swamp on an alluvial terrace. Probably receives inputs from river in very high water. So most of the water input is likely from seepage. The forest is dominated by spruce - hemlock / Rhododendron growing on hummocks with Sphagnum fallax in the lows. There is an old jeep trail ca. 50m southeast. It follows an old railroad grade. So this entire alluvial terrace has been truncated and impounded by the 100+ year old rail bed. Overall the diversity here is low compared to the adjacent woodland (MONF202).
Representativeness
Small patch of conifer swamp forest. Similar to others surveyed this has less down wood and less Bazzania trilobata. Reminds me of first season HEW plot on Yellow Creek floodplain.
