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
Site is about 0.5 mile E of Bennett. From Bennett, take Rt. 9 north, about 0.2 miles to Camp Laurie. Turn right into Camp Laurie. Proceed to the end of the road, turn left. Sites are 0.4 and 0.2 miles W of the Garden State Parkway.
Average Soil Texture: Mineral - sandy loam
pH at 10.2 cm = 3.8
Landscape Description: Located in a deciduous forest just to the N of a forested trailer park. A golf course borders to the N and E. The Garden State Parkway lies <0.25 mile E. The surrounding forest is dominated by Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum and Quercus spp. (Q. falcata, Q. phellos, Q. marilandica), Sassafras, Ilex opaca, and Uvularia.
Physiographic Province: Outer Coastal Plain
Watershed Code: 02040302080
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
Shrub
Growthform1 Type
Shrubs
Growthform2 Type
Trees
Growthform3 Type
Vine/liana
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Community Type: coastal plain pond
General Description: Coastal plain intermittent ponds located within a deciduous lowland forest along the northern edge of a trailer park and campground, just south of a golf course. The surrounding landscape is very gently rolling, underlain by interbedded gravel, sand and clay of the Unnamed Formation at Cape May. Leersia oryzoides - Polygonum caespitosum - Polygonum hydropiper Herbaceous Vegetation (A1) occurs in the central to middle zones of the ponds, which is partially shaded by surrounding trees. An adjacent herbaceous community in pond B is dominated by Impatiens pallida and Rubus allegheniensis, with Decodon verticillatus, Lonicera japonica, Rosa multiflora, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Carex longii and Boehmeria cylindrica (B1). The surrounding shrub and tree zone of pond B is dominated by Acer rubrum and Toxicodendron radicans, with Leucothoe racemosa, Prunus serotina, Quercus phellos, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa sylvatica, Magnolia virginiana, Viburnum dentatum, Morella pensylvanica, Lonicera japonica, Mitchella repens, Euonymous americanus, Decodon verticillatus, Smilax rotundifolia, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Woodwardia virginica and Lindera benzoin (B3). The surrounding shrub and tree zone of pond A is dominated by Liquidambar styraciflua, Diospyros virginiana and Vaccinium corymbosum, with Acer rubrum, Smilax rotundifolia, Quercus phellos and Decodon verticillatus (A2). Drainage channels have been cut into the southeastern corner of pond B and runoff from the golf course likely affects nutrient load in both ponds. The ponds both appear smaller than what appears in the 1995/97 aerial photographs, which may be the result of drawdown of the aquifer and subsequent drying out of the ponds, or for pond B, may simply be the result of the drainage ditches.
Community Description: Upper shore of coastal plain pond. A large area of bare ground extends between a large patch of Polygonum, bordered by Cephalanthus, and this zone. The N edge has a thin shrub layer and relatively thick vegetation <1' tall (mostly Toxicodendron radicans). The area is dominated by Acer rubrum.
Additional species present but not in plot: Woodwardia areolata, Lindera benzoin
