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A1 - Bears Head Branch
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» Citation URL: http://vegbank.org/cite/urn:lsid:vegbank.org/vegbranch:observation:336-{2B82258E-2C29-4D85-BDD2-D8C7610B1A1E}
» Citing info |
| Plot ID Fields: | |
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Author Plot Code  |
A1 - Bears Head Branch
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| Author Observation Code |
A1 - Bears Head Branch
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| Original Data Location |
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
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| Location Fields: |
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| Confidentiality Status |
1 km radius (nearest 0.01 degree)
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| Latitude |
39.41
º
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| Longitude |
-74.92
º
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| Author Location |
Bears Head Branch
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| Location Narrative |
The site is about 1 mile W of the town of Bennetts Mill. From the intersection of CR 552, and CR 671 (W and N of Bennetts Mill), go S on CR 671, 0.7 miles. The site is on the left (on the E side of CR 671) within 30' of the road.
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| State or Province |
New Jersey
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| Country |
United States
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| Named Places |
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| Layout Fields: | |
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| Shape |
Plotless
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| Permanence |
not permanent
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| Layout Narrative |
plotless - coordinates approximate surveyed area
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| Environment Fields: | |
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| Elevation |
23.5
m
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| Elevation Range |
0.61
m
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| Landscape Narrative |
Average Soil Texture: Mineral - sandy clay loam
pH of Mineral Soil: 4.0 at 15.24 cm
Note: found small pebbles - light gray when moistened
Landscape Description: Small, 0.3-acre, pondshore community in good condition within a medium-sized, 0.8-acre, floristically diverse coastal plain intermittent pond surrounded by high quality deciduous wooded wetlands and forest.
Physiographic Province: Outer Coastal Plain
Watershed Code: 02040206190
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| Percent Litter |
20
%
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| Percent Bare Soil |
25
%
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| Methods Fields: | |
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| Observation Start Date |
13-Sep-2002
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| Observation End Date |
13-Sep-2002
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| Project |
NJ Mark Wong
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| Cover Method |
Percentage (%)
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| Stratum Method |
National Park Service
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| Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated? |
no
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| Plot Quality Fields: | |
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| Plot Validation Level |
(1) occurrence plot: sufficient for determining type occurrence
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| Overall Plot Vegetation Fields: | |
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| Dominant Stratum |
Herb
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| Growthform1 Type |
Herbs
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| Misc Fields: | |
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| Observation Narrative |
Community Type: coastal plain pond
General Description: Coastal plain intermittent pond within mixed deciduous-evergreen lowland forest. The surrounding landscape is relatively flat, with three branches of the Maurice River between 600-2000’ to the southwest, south and east. The site is underlain by sand of the Cohansey Formation. Panicum rigidulum var. pubescens – Dichanthelium sp. – Sphagnum sp. herbaceous vegetation occurs in the central to upper zones of the pond, with two relatively distinct patches. The adjacent upper pondshore zone on the west, south and east sides of the pond is dominated by Leucothoe racemosa and Vaccinium corymbosum, with Clethra alnifolia, Smilax rotundifolia and seedlings of Nyssa sylvatica. A patch of Panicum virgatum and a patch of Panicum verrucosum border the northern edge of the community. Deciduous forest, with some pitch pine surrounds the pond, bordering the Panicum rigidulum var. pubescens – Dichanthelium sp. – Sphagnum sp. herbaceous vegetation directly along its northeast edge. It is dominated by Acer rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica and Liquidambar styraciflua, with Diospyros virginiana, Vaccinium corymbosum, Leucothoe racemosa and Quercus phellos. Forest with a greater abundance of pitch pine grows a short distance to the north, farther from the fingers of the Maurice River. A road runs north-south within 30’ of the northwestern corner of the pond on an elevated burm which disrupts drainage to the pond from the northwest. Agricultural and residential areas are about 2000’ to the north, but the surrounding area is generally forested and other than the road and berm already mentioned and some tires embedded in the south end of the pond, there is little evidence of anthropogenic disturbance in the surrounding buffer land. However, surrounding forest may be selectively logged and forest fires may be controlled.
General Description (field): The survey site is located along the NW border of Peaslee Wildlife Management Area, in a mixed deciduous / evergreen forest. Residential areas are NW and E within a few miles. A berm was created W of the site for CR 671, creating an artificial barrier on the coastal plain pond's W side. The main drainage ditch from the pond is in the S corner. A relatively steep incline surrounds most of the pond where shrubs and trees are growing, with only a couple of other visible drainage areas (besides the main drainage ditch in the S corner).
General Comments: Much of the herbaceous vegetation was dry at the time. A visit earlier in the growing season would be worthwile. Access is very easy.
Community Description: High quality herbaceous pondshore community occurring in the central to upper zones of a coastal plain intermittent pond. Community occurrence is made up of two relatively distinct patches that likely vary spatially and temporally. Each patch supports a relatively sparse homogeneous mix of species. The larger patch, about 250 x 100’, extends throughout most of the pond and is dominated by Panicum rigidulum var. pubescens (35%), with Dichanthelium sp. (3%), Panicum verrucosum (2%), Eleocharis tricostata (2%), Hypericum sp. (1%), Sphagnum sp. (1%) and less than 1% Viola lanceolata, Rhexia sp., Smilax rotundifolia, Proserpinaca pectinata, Scleria reticularis, Drosera intermedia and seedlings of Acer rubrum, Diospyros virginiana and Quercus phellos. 20% of this patch is litter and duff (which may have been vegetative cover before desiccating) and 25% is bare soil. The smaller, very sparsely vegetated patch, about 75 x 75’, is in the southern and deepest corner of the pond. It is dominated by Eleocharis tricostata (17%), with Panicum rigidulum var. pubescens (10%), P. verrucosum (3%) and less than 1% Dichanthelium sp. and Rhexia sp. Litter and duff take up 50% of unvegetated surface cover, along with 10% bare soil and 5% wood. Soil is sandy clay loam with small pebbles underlain by sands of the Cohansey Formation, pH 4.0. Full sun exposure, subtle southerly aspect, with drainage flowing south out of the pond. There is a rim around the pond, more pronounced in the northern three-quarters, that supports a shrubby ecotone. Site was very dry on survey date, with much vegetation difficult to discern due to desiccation.
Community Description (field): This is the (currently dry) herbaceous zone dominated by grasses and sedges. A patch of Panicum virgatum is in the NW corner with a lot of bare ground covered with dried rhizomes and some leaf litter.
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