Surrounding wetland is approximately 100 acres in size in "basin" below cleared/grazed mountaintops. Cattle graze vegetation severely but soils are not too compacted to be restored. Half of wetland will be fenced off permanently, the other half will be livestock free on a seasonal basis only. Greenbrier limestone outcrops on slopes above wetland contributing to circumneutral nature of the west end of site. Sandstone underlies east end. Various rare species associated - especially with circumneutral side of wetland. Slight alder thicket in middle of site and Rhamnus alnifolia clonal patches on east end. Wetland primarily dominated by graminoids - large Carex zones and Glyceria zones. Landowner reports that this site was a fir-spruce wet forest at turn of century when logged - none now!;Rhamnus clone patch. Very similar community as the grass-sedge dominated one (obs points P8 & P18) but with an added short shrub layer of Rhamnus alnifolia dominating the physiognomy. Rhamnus forming obvious circular clonal patches about 200-400 sq. meters in size and only about 0.5-0.8 meters tall. I would presume this to actually be the same grass/sedge herbaceous community that dominates the site but with these patchy Rhamnus inclusions -- instead of teasing them out as a separate community.
Whole community will likey recover dramatically when cattled are fenced out in fall of 1999.
Representativeness
Total area of this community is about 0.2 ha, but broken into small cicular patches.
Livestock grazing and livestock compaction. Browsed by cattled, but not as heavily as the pure grass-sedge dominated areas. This plot was done prior to building the cattle exclosure, which was constructed in fall 1999, with the deer extension put on the fence in fall 2000.
