NJ Natural Heritage Program, NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, 22 S. Clinton Ave, Plaza Bldg 4, Fl. 4, PO Box 404 Trenton, NJ, 08625-0404
Lat/long given for plot center. Coordinates for plot corners were not obtained. Plot is 20x20 m.
Environment Fields:
Elevation
30.8
m
Slope Aspect
0
º
Slope Gradient
1
º
Topographic Position
Low level
Landscape Narrative
General Landscape Description: Floodplain forest located on the E bank of the SW-NE flowing Rockaway Creek. To the S, there is no floodplain - only a steep drop-off to the stream. Floodplain is dominated by large trees - Q. velutina, J. nigra and Carya cordiformis with some Ulmus americana and Acer saccharum. To the E, the land rises quickly and the forest becomes dominated by Juniperus virginiana. Stream lies ~2 m below the level of the floodplain.
Soil Texture: Mineral - sandy loam, silt loam
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(1) occurrence plot: sufficient for determining type occurrence
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Dominant Stratum
Tree
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Community Type: non-tidal floodplain forest
General Description: Mixed hardwood floodplain forest on a low terrace ~2 m above the level of Rockaway Creek. Several tree species are co-dominant, including Juglans nigra, Quercus rubra, Q. palustris, Q. bicolor, Fraxinus americana and Ulmus americana. Forest is overrun with Rosa multiflora - there are spots where the bark cannot be accessed on foot. Large patches of Microstegium vimineum and Polygonum virginianum cover the ground in open spots. Vitis vulpina is in the canopy of many of the trees and also in standing snags. Very little unvegetated surface - some wood/logs, no standing water, little disturbance except for deer paths. Floodplain ends abruptly to the S at a +/-20 degree incline which continues up for several hundred feet. Soil is red-brown 5 YR 3/3 and 5 YR 4/4 silt loam without mottles to 100 cm. A few small piles of flood debris can be seen here and there.; Community Description: Mixed hardwood floodplain forest on the S bank of Rockaway Creek. Floodplain is narrow at its W end, and broadens as it follows the stream to the E. Co-dominant tree species are Juglans nigra, Quercus rubra, Q. palustris, Q. bicolor, Fraxinus americana and Ulmus americana. Tree species are not well mixed - the dominant trees appear in clusters. To the S, the floodplain abruptly ends at an uphill slope of several hundred feet. Juniperus virginiana dominates the slope and is dying out as larger hardwoods move in. Floodplain is densely vegetated in S1 and S2 strata, the dominant shrub being Rosa multiflora. Herbaceous layer is thick and is mostly Microstegium vimineum and Polygonum virginianum. The tree canopy is tangled with Vitis vulpina. There is some evidence of flooding - small piles of debris, especially at the N end of the floodplain, which is slightly lower and wetter. Soils are dense, compacted, red brown silt loam 5 YR 3/3 and 5 YR 3/4, with no mottles present to 100 cm.; General Comments: Seweage smell noted seeming to come from upstream (south).; Yellowthroat, woodthrush, deer, toads, great crested flycatcher present.
