A3 - Steelmantown Road
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» Citation URL: http://vegbank.org/cite/urn:lsid:vegbank.org/vegbranch:observation:487-{538E2878-0A0C-465E-A1FD-4EAE0394F9FF}
» Citing info |
Plot ID Fields: | |
Author Plot Code |
A3 - Steelmantown Road
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Author Observation Code |
A3 - Steelmantown Road
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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 |
10 km radius (nearest 0.1 degree)
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Latitude |
39.3
º
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Longitude |
-74.8
º
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Author Location |
Steelmantown Road
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Location Narrative |
Site is 1.1 miles east southeast of Belleplain within Belleplain State Forest. From Belleplain, follow Steelmantown Road east 1.0 miles to fire break. Pond is about 1200’ south.
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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: | |
Shape |
Plotless
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Permanence |
not permanent
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Layout Narrative |
plotless - latitude and longitude coordinates approximate the survey area
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Environment Fields: | |
Elevation |
11.3
m
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Elevation Range |
0.61
m
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Slope Gradient |
1.5
º
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Landscape Narrative |
Soil Description: loamy sand, pH 4.2, overlying sand of the Cohansey Formation
Landscape Description: This is part of a large (approximately 3.5 acres) pondshore community in pristine condition within a large (5.2 acres), floristically diverse coastal plain intermittent pond surrounded by mixed oak – pine heath woodland. Surrounding landscape is relatively flat, with streams draining lowland forest to the west and south into Lake Numm (about 5000’ south) and upland forest extending northeast with fewer drainages. Several smaller ponds lie west, north and southeast within 5000’. Underlying soil is sand of the Cohansey Formation. The Carex striata var. brevis Herbaceous Community dominates the middle to upper zones of the pondshore with two distinct zones (A3 and A4). The adjacent central zone of the pond (A1 and A2) is dominated by Eleocharis microcarpa, with Panicum hemitomon, Eriocaulon aquaticum, Xyris sp., Scleria reticularis, Proserpinaca pectinata, Panicum rigidulum var. pubescens, Rhynchospora sp. and Dichanthelium sp. The outermost surrounding zone (A5) is a lowland characterized by tall deciduous shrubs and trees on hummocks with a network of channels running 100’ or more to the surrounding upland forest. The sparse canopy in the wet woodland includes Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa sylvatica and Pinus rigida. Understory dominants include Leucothoe racemosa, Vaccinium corymbosum and Clethra alnifolia, with Woodwardia virginica along the open pond edge and scattered Rhododendron viscosum, Smilax rotundifolia, Sphagnum sp. and Ilex opaca. The site is surrounded by mixed pine-oak forest with sand roads, a paved road (Rt. 550) and a campground (Belleplain State Forest) within about 2000-4000’. Within 100' of the survey site, the surrounding forest is mixed deciduous-evergreen, dominated by Acer rubrum. Further out, there is open woodland, generally deciduous but becoming dominated by pines a greater distance from the intermittent pond. The towns of Belleplain and Woodbine are about 0.6 and 1.9 miles northwest and southeast, respectively. There is practically no current anthropogenic disturbance in the surrounding buffer land. While state officials may permit logging and controlled fire management, there is practically no current anthropogenic disturbance in the surrounding buffer land.
Physiographic Province: Outer Coastal Plain
Watershed Code: 02040206210
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Percent Litter |
5
%
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Percent Bare Soil |
15
%
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Methods Fields: | |
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: | |
Plot Validation Level |
(1) occurrence plot: sufficient for determining type occurrence
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Overall Plot Vegetation Fields: | |
Dominant Stratum |
Herb
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Growthform1 Type |
Herbs
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Misc Fields: | |
Observation Narrative |
Community Type: coastal plain pond
Community Description: Excellent quality herbaceous pondshore community occurring in the middle to upper zones of a coastal plain intermittent pond. Community occurrence is made up of two distinct but contiguous areas, the more centrally located patch a virtual monoculture of Carex striata var. brevis and the upper shore patch co-dominated by C. striata var. brevis and Panicum hemitomon. The Carex-dominated patch (A3) extends in a 100-200’ wide band around a small central herbaceous zone of the pond, and is characterized by Carex striata var. brevis (75%) with scattered Proserpinaca pectinata (2%) and Panicum hemitomon (1%). The Carex-Panicum dominated upper zone (A4) is characterized by a relatively homogeneous mix of C. striata var. brevis (35%), Panicum hemitomon (20%), Sphagnum (25%) and less than 1% Dichanthelium sp. A large part of the eastern corner of the Carex-Panicum zone includes Saccharum giganteum (about 2% of vegetation in the zone). Full sun exposure with gentle slope (0-3%), 15-20% exposed substrate. Sphagnum was pale and dry, indicating a relatively lengthy lack of moisture throughout the exposed areas of the pond by survey date.
Note: Although the whole pond, 5.2 acres, was mapped for this occurrence, Carex striata var. brevis Herbaceous Vegetation occupies approximately 3.5 acres of the pond.
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